Fumei no Musubi
by Ina-chan
Summary: COMPLETED! See profile for details. One after the other the twelve fell. Their deaths commenced the end of the bloodline of one family... and created curse that will continue until the world is purged of Souma blood...
1. Chapter 01

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

December 16, 2002

Fumei no Musubi

Chapter One

By Ina-chan

The silence of the room made the faint beeping of the monitor and the rhythmic pumps of the respirator like a booming orchestra. He hated this room. Ironically, this was also the first time he entered it. This room was quite infamous in the Souma Main House compound. When he was little, he still remembered how his cousins told him of its gruesome history and the frightening family legends that developed from it. Family folklore or not, this room had driven many generations of Souma children's imagination to its full morbidity.  

That was… because… For as long as the family could remember, this room had traditionally become the place where many members of the Souma Family were brought home to die.

 As a child, he always imagined that the room would be dark, dank, and creepy. Now, with all the medical equipment needed for the current person residing in it, the room looked more like a private room in a hospital. Personally, he didn't know whether he should be relieved or disappointed.

The man took a deep breath before forcing his vision to pan across the sterile environment until it finally rested on the figure literally buried under the tubes and wires of the complicated technology of the room. His arms automatically wrapped around himself as a chill ran down his spine at the sight that greeted him.

All his life, his hatred made him dream and fantasize of fates worse than death to befall this person before him. As much as he wanted this person beaten, bruised, and humiliated, never in his life did he wish for… this. Never in his life did he expect this to happen. In fact, just the day before this happened three weeks ago, they were arguing over something petty and trivial with their wives shaking their heads over their childishness. He couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt.

"Don't. None of this was your fault. Tooru-kun is blaming herself enough for all of us," as if reading his silent thoughts, a voice suddenly spoke behind him

The young man spun around in surprise to see Shigure standing by the doorway with a solemn expression on his face, "H-how long have you been watching me?"

Shigure let out a small knowing smile as he stepped inside the room, "Long enough to hear your body language screaming out your pathos over the whole situation."

He had no idea what his older cousin just said, but was pretty sure he wasn't doing it. Damn writer-speak. He let out an annoyed frown before speaking out loud, "What are you doing here? I assumed that it would either be Tooru or that Ayame-person doing the 24-hour vigil."

"You just missed them. Ha-san and I just kicked them out so they can have some rest. But the real question is…" Shigure paused as he gave the younger man a meaningful look, "What are YOU doing here?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He scoffed, angry now. Just because he hated the damn mouse, and it took him three weeks to sum up enough nerve to visit… that didn't mean that he was heartless.

"Ah, I see," Shigure intoned, as he rubbed his chin solemnly, "Kagura threatened to not let you have some until you came to see him."

"THE HELL!" The young man hissed at his older cousin, completely scandalized. Shigure was the only person in the world who can come up with ridiculous things to say on inappropriate moments.

"Now, now, Kyou-kun, there's no need to yell. That's just simply inappropriate with an ill person in front of us to boot," Shigure calmly berated, "Well, you came just in time. It's just about time to turn Yuki-kun and I could use your help. Ha-san said, Yuki-kun need to be moved him into another position every two hours or he'll start to develop bedsores.  And in his condition, Yuki-kun is too much of a dead weight for one person." 

Kyou winced at his cousin's unintentional pun. He then clenched his teeth as he reluctantly stepped forward to help with the task. At the same time, quietly pounding down deep inside the urge to reach out and strangle the damn dog. There was simply no way to win a verbal match against Shigure! He's almost as bad as…

His eyes swept an involuntary glance at the figure on the bed.  All this time, he was actually expecting the worst. After all, Kyou had his share of seeing dying people. Hell, Akito, himself, was a walking dead for as long as he can remember! But the figure before him looked nothing like Akito's sickly frame. He didn't look like he was dying at all. In fact, if it weren't for the telltale wires and tubes stuck on him, it almost seemed like the mouse was just simply sleeping peacefully. Kyou was even half-expecting the damn mouse to suddenly sit up and take a swing at him. Just like that one time, back when they were children, when he tried to sneak on him while he was sleeping.

"What did you mean about what you said earlier?" He asked hesitantly, as he quickly took a step away, after the task was done

"About what?" Shigure stated seriously as he pulled out a chair and motioned his younger cousin to sit

Kyou straddled the chair to rest his arms of the backrest, as if trying to put any form of barrier between himself from everything else in the room, "You mentioned something about Tooru… I know she's the one hardest hit by this and she does take blame for everything needlessly… but…"

Shigure turned to him in surprise, "Didn't Kagura tell you?"

The cat let out another frown. Kagura refused to tell him anything in order to force him to come there himself if he wanted to know what was going on. Damn woman. "Just answer the question."

 Shigure took his own seat and gazed at their sleeping cousin, "That morning, Tooru-kun said that she noticed Yuki-kun didn't look too well. She tried to get him to stay home and see Ha-san, but Yuki-kun simply dismissed it. She let him convince her that it was just a bad headache that would go away. Of course, you know what happened after…"

Three hours after, they received news that Yuki collapsed from a massive brain aneurysm. By the time he was brought to the hospital, the damage was so substantial that the doctors were ready to pronounce him dead and pull the plug off life support, had Hatori not intervened. That same day, three weeks ago, he was brought home to the Main House.

"If Tooru managed to convince him to see Hatori, would it have changed anything?" Kyou asked numbly

The older man closed his eyes and shook his head, "Even if Tooru-kun convinced Yuki-kun to see Ha-san that day, it still would have been too late. Ha-san said that if it was caught many weeks before that, something might have been possible. Yuki-kun was probably suffering from the headaches a long time without telling anybody. And you know how Yuki-kun is about seeing Ha-san regarding his health…"

At hindsight, it did explain a lot why the damned mouse seemed more irritable and preoccupied. Guilt started to bear down heavily on the younger man's shoulders upon remembering that he, himself, have nagging feelings that something was a little off with their cousin for some time in the recent past. 

But… what a stupid girl! Blaming herself for something that she couldn't control. But still… 

"And what does Hatori think about the situation now?" I asked

"Same as the doctors in the hospital. Right now, without the life-support, there's no way for Yuki-kun to survive. It's already a miracle by itself that he already survived the past three weeks. Ha-san said that Yuki-kun still has some substantial swelling in his brain. They won't know for sure the extent of the damage for another few days. But it doesn't look very good."

"Feh, this is Yuki the walking miracle we're talking about," the cat uttered, trying to sound sarcastic, though for some reason… the usual bite was not present in his voice, "The damn mouse is too stubborn to die.  In a couple of days, he'll be back to his annoying perfect self and…"

"Ha-san said," Shigure interrupted firmly, the serious expression on his face making the younger man to immediately bite his tongue, "The best prognosis he can give is that there is a very small possibility that Yuki-kun may still be able to breathe on his own."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kyou frowned

"It means that…" Shigure stated patiently, "Whatever we do, or how long we wait… Yuki is never waking up."

"The hell…" The cat unconsciously gripped the backrest of the chair tightly as his older cousin's words registered in his mind. An inexplicable feeling of rage started to build up in his chest. He bowed his head and desperately tried to swallow it back down, before it spilled out uncontrollably, "So what the hell are you waiting for?" 

"Waiting for?" Shigure turned to him questioningly

"If that's the case, why are you doing this? How long are you going to keep him like this?" he continued slowly, trying to keep his control

"For as long as possible," Shigure replied a-matter-of-factly

"What?" The cat snapped furiously as he stared at his older cousin in shock. He did not have the same level of understanding with this medical jargon as Hatori or even Shigure. But he knew enough to understand this particular situation. A person dependent on life support would only have less than a few minutes to live without it. But a healthy person, like Yuki, being continuously hooked on life support… would live like… THIS… for a very, very, long time… And Hatori agreed to this? 

"That's just too cruel!" Kyou blurted indignantly, rising to his feet as he glowered over at his cousin

Shigure raised an amused eyebrow at the younger man's reaction, "Since when have you been this concerned about Yuki-kun, nee… Kyou-kun?"

The cat bristled at the dog's mocking comment, "THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT!!! NO PERSON IN HIS RIGHT MIND WOULD WANT TO LIVE LIKE THIS!!! AND WHAT ABOUT TOORU?!?! HAVE YOU EVEN CONSIDERED HER FEELINGS!?!! THIS IS HER HUSBAND'S FATE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!!!"

Shigure shifted his gaze to the peaceful figure on the bed before speaking, "How's Kagura?"

"DON'T TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT!!!"

"But Kyou-kun, this is your wife I'm talking about, shouldn't you be the little bit at least concerned?" Shigure said quietly, easily throwing back his cousin's comment, "How long is it before she's due? Three? Two months?"

"WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHAT YOU AND HATORI ARE DOING TO YUKI!!! SHE HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS!"                

"She has EVERYTHING to do with this," Shigure's voice boomed uncharacteristically within the walls of the room, even forcing his younger to freeze on his tracks, "Have you forgotten the nature of OUR curses Kyou? If Yuki dies now, there will be an empty slot in the Jyuunishi circle. Who do you think is most likely to take the mouse's place?"

The young man's eyes widened in shock upon realizing his older cousin's words, his lips moved to say something in rebuttal only to find that he had lost his voice.

"And have you forgotten the nature of YOUR curse, Kyou? The cat and the mouse are destined to hate each other, no matter what the circumstances," Shigure's cold voice continued cruelly as he slowly turned his dark gaze at the petrified young man in front of him, "Are you saying that you're ready to hate your own child?" 

"Or should I say, are you prepared…" 

A sardonic smirk lined on his lips as he measured the younger man's reaction to his final words

"…to have your own child hate you?"

The young man continued to gape at his cousin's unrelenting indifferent glare, the fire of his indignant fury quickly being doused by the cold tendrils of inexplicable fear. Kyou finally bowed his head in defeat and turned around… slowly making his way out of the room. Shigure listened to the slow footsteps echoing from the hallway hasten until the patterns became similar to that of a person breaking into a full sprint. He waited until the only sounds in the room were that of the deafening cacophony of the monitors and the respirators before leaning back in his seat and closing his yes.

"You went too far this time," Hatori commented as he quietly entered the room

                "I know, but I can't help it. This is my personality," Shigure replied tiredly, "And it was still something that he needed to hear, no matter how painful. He'll get over it. How's A-ya?"

                The doctor let out an exasperated snort, "He's fine. But I gave him a sedative just to make sure."

                "And Tooru-kun?"

                "Kagura and Momiji are with her right now. If Kagura can't convince her to lie down and rest, Momiji will eventually wear her down to exhaustion," Hatori replied monotonously

                "What's wrong?" Shigure asked as he opened his eyes and turned to face the doctor

                "What what's wrong?" The doctor echoed blandly

                "Ha-san, we've known each other all our lives, I can tell that there's something you're not telling me," Shigure continued insistently

                The doctor sighed as he ran his fingers tiredly through his hair, "We've run into another complication."

                "Complication? About Yuki-kun?" Shigure's eyes widened in concern

                "Not quite. The test results arrived today," Hatori shook his head, "It's positive."

                Shigure let out a weak smile, "This is good news."

                "Yes, it is," Hatori agreed

                "Then why does it feel like you just said someone died," Shigure murmured absently, as he made another glance at the sleeping figure on the bed, "Do you think he'll last long enough for this one as well?" 

                "Shigure…" The doctor began in a warning tone, before letting out another long sigh, "You'll be hated, you know."

                "Ah… but that's the way it is in every great story," The novelist simply made pained smile, "In order to achieve the greatest common good, someone has to play the role of the villain."

                The doctor didn't know what to answer to that, so he simply let the faint beeping of the monitor and rhythmic pumping of the respirator drown out the silence of his incapacity.

~~@~~

This fic is dedicated …

To P.R. (November 2, 1925 – December 11, 2002), a dear friend's mother, who reminded me the fragility and uncertainty of human life.

And to S.B., a dear friend, who reminded me that the greatest show of strength is having the ability to move on.

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

Haaaa… I've been debating whether or not to actually write this fic for the main reason that… I have no idea how it would go. If case you're wondering… that's the reason why it's titled the way it is. Ha! Ha! Funny joke, isn't it?

But certain events that happened in my life recently, and eerily similar to when I was originally formulating the idea for this fic kinda pushed my hand to actually put it on paper. Whether I will actually continue it… that's another question.

Well… this is an AU in the future fic. Again, I dismissed the "Kyou will be imprisoned in the main house after highschool" storyline. Akito is alive and… well… still alive. Whether or not he will play a significant role in this fic… I haven't decided yet. 

Though I know for sure that I didn't want to do another Yuki-centric fic… that's why I did what I did to Yuki right at the beginning… Sorta to force me into using the other characters in dealing with the situation. I think I'd like to focus a lot more on Shigure in this piece, than with any other characters… but again, I dunno what direction this fic is headed for, so that could change somewhere along the way as well… ^_^. 

Anywayz… 'nuff babbling. Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!  
Ina-chan


	2. Chapter 02

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

December 17, 2002

Fumei no Musubi

Chapter Two

By Ina-chan

The sound of humming brought a smile on his lips. She sat with her back to the door so she didn't see him as she hummed a sweet lullaby while stroking her husband's sleeping face. He stepped back and hid by the doorway to give her a little more privacy. He closed his eyes, allowing the sweet sound to calm his senses.  It never ceased to amaze him. How her mere presence had the ability to dissolve all traces of depression and anxiety.  Soon, her soft melody slowed to a halt as the song ended. He took this opportunity to let out a loud pained moan as he made a show of stretching out his arms as he stepped into the room to make his presence known.

"Shigure-san? Are you all right?" She turned on her seat to focus her attention to the newcomer, her voice filled with concern

"Ahh, it's nothing. It's just the inevitable signs of getting old, I'm afraid," The older man replied mournfully as he bent backwards to give his back a stretch, "The sound of your lovely voice just joggled this old man's memories. It only seemed yesterday that Tooru-kun was moving in to our house for the first time…"

She let out an amused laugh, "Stop joking, Shigure-san. You're not old at all! And it hasn't even been ten years since we first met each other!"

Shigure gave the young woman an affectionate, almost paternal smile, before turning his attention to the young man she was holding her vigil, "Any changes?" Not that he was actually expecting any.

The young woman shook her head as she turned back to face her husband beside her, "Though… Hatori-san taught me how to clean his tracheal tube earlier," She made an involuntary flinch as she referred to the piece of plastic equipment embedded in her husband's throat, connecting to the respirator.

The older man couldn't help but make an involuntary wince of disgust himself, "Not exactly how I would want to spend the morning."

"I wanted to help exercise his arms and legs instead, but Hatori-san was against it. After all, it won't be much help if I slipped and accidentally cause Yuki-kun to transform," Tooru replied 

"That's true," Shigure agreed. It would be disastrous if Yuki transformed now. "What about you? How are you doing?"

The young woman gave the writer an embarrassed smile, "I'm fine. Though I think I may have worried Hatori-san earlier. I was just so excited when Hatori-san told me the news this morning. I couldn't wait to come and let Yuki-kun know and meet the baby."

His eyes peered from over her shoulder. It was only then that the writer noticed how the young woman had carefully placed one of her husband's hands on her still flat belly. Her own hand over his, unconsciously making small circles over his wrist. He gave the young woman an affectionate pat on the head before taking his own seat opposite her.

"It seems hard to believe that there's a baby in there, ne, Shigure-san?" Tooru commented softly in wonder, "Hatori-san said it'd be a few more weeks before I start to show. I'll be due five months after Kagura-san. But Kagura-san and Ayame-san are already excited about it.  Ayame-san even said he's going to start making clothes for the baby right away."

A bead of sweat hung on the writer's forehead as he let out a forced laugh, "Isn't A-ya getting a bit ahead of himself. We don't even know if it's a boy or a girl yet."

Tooru smiled, "It doesn't really matter. I'm sure the clothes will still be lovely either way. What's most important now is that Ayame-san has something else to worry about other than this."

Shigure stopped at the young woman's words of wisdom. It was true. As much as it pained Tooru-kun the most with what happened to his younger cousin, it was actually Ayame who had the worst time coping with what happened, "I suppose, you're right. Have you told your friends and your family yet?"

The woman shook her head, "I was going to telephone them later."

"Why don't you call Saki-chan and Arisa-chan and go over to your grandfather's place to tell him in person? I'm sure your grandfather will be delighted with the news. You haven't spent much time with your family for quite some time. Specially after you got married," Shigure suggested

The young woman looked at the writer in horror, "I couldn't possibly do that Shigure-san! Yuki-kun…"

"Yuki-kun will be fine. You're not the only one watching over him," Shigure interrupted reassuringly

"But…"

 "TOORU-KUN," The older man stressed firmly, "You need to think of yourself more than ever now.  Yuki-kun would have never wanted you to ignore your friends and your family just for his sake. And now you have a baby to worry about."

"I guess, you're right," Tooru admitted reluctantly

"Of course, I'm right," Shigure replied triumphantly as he rubbed his chin

She couldn't help but let out hearty laugh at that, "Thank you, Shigure-san."

"Yes, yes. Leave everything to us. Now go and have fun," Shigure stated as he motioned for her to rise from her seat

"Thank you, not just about this afternoon…" Tooru began, "…but for everything."

The man couldn't help but look at the younger woman in surprise, "What brought this up, all of the sudden?"

"I've been doing a lot of thinking while sitting here," Tooru replied as she reached out to brush a stray strand of hair on her husband's face, "Ever since high school… you've taken upon yourself to watch over Yuki-kun, Kyou-kun, and myself. I don't think I've ever thanked you enough for that."

"Tooru-kun…" Shigure began

"No, please, let me finish," Tooru interrupted, giving the older man a pleading look, "I have to admit. Back at that time before Yuki-kun and I got married. I was a bit hurt when Yuki-kun made it clear that he wanted you to be his power of attorney if something ever happened to him."

The novelist bit his lip as he remembered that time. It was the mouse zodiac's nature to cover all its bases and escape routes before it undertakes a plan. Yuki was no exception from this personality trait. Of course, at that time, he did it for an entirely different reason. Yuki was trying to protect the people he loved from Akito's wrath. 

 Tooru was quiet about it, but Ayame was very vocal about the younger Souma's decision. In full honestly, back then… he didn't understand why Yuki decided that in the first place. Before the marriage took place, he made it clear to the point of arranging the legal paperwork that if something ever happened to him, he wanted Shigure to make his decisions in his behalf.

Now, it was crystal clear, the genius behind Yuki's logic. Ayame and Tooru would be too distraught, while Hatori would be too ethical.  As hard as it was to believe, Yuki did trust Shigure a lot more than he would care to admit. Shigure's cunning nature would be the most successful in fighting to uphold Yuki's wishes. Shigure was also one of the few people who can influence Akito's decision if Akito chose to overturn the legalities and intervene with anything.  

Whether it be good or bad fortune, depending on one's point of view… the head of the Souma family seemed to have washed his hands from anything that had to do with Yuki since the younger man's marriage. Then further isolated himself from the rest of the family when the cat followed the mouse's suit.

"I don't know if its good or bad to feel this way," Tooru continued, "I can't bear the thought that keeping Yuki-kun like this would be just prolonging his suffering… but I can't bear the thought of loosing him much more. That's why I'm actually glad that it wasn't up to me to decide. So forgive me as well, Shigure-san. That is… for forcing you to make the decision for me. I'm sorry for being so selfish."

"You don't need to apologize," Shigure reassured her quietly, "This wasn't my decision either."

"Eh?" Tooru looked at the older man in surprise

Shigure folded his hands and gazed at the sleeping younger man, "This was what Yuki wanted."

/'…for as long as possible. Even if it just saves one Souma child from suffering the same fate, do it for as long as possible.'/ The younger man's words echoed in the older Souma's head loudly from that say when they were sitting together with a lawyer at that time.

Shigure suddenly turned to the younger woman in surprise when he felt her take his hand and put it on top of Yuki's.  

"Can you feel Yuki-kun's hand, Shigure-san?" Tooru asked, looking up at him with those big round hopeful eyes of hers

"Of course," Shigure replied with a small frown, a little puzzled at her sudden action

"It's warm, isn't it?" She continued

"Ye-es…" Shigure replied slowly, now feeling a little unnerved by the situation

"Yuki-kun's hand is warm," Tooru stated as she let go of Shigure's hand, to the older man's relief, "That's how I know that he hasn't given up. I understand what Hatori-san and the doctors at the hospital said. But Yuki-kun's hand is still warm, so I know that he can still wake up."

"I see…" The novelist stated, though the truth was… he had no idea what she was babbling about

"I don't remember much about my father. I was too young… but I do remember clearly when Mom took me to see him for the last time at the hospital," The young woman said as she twined her fingers with her husband's, "His hands… his fingers were ice cold. The last moments before Mom passed on, her hands were cold as well. But Yuki-kun's hands are warm. And all this time, ever since it happened… he didn't transform. He didn't transform even once. So I know that he's going to wake up any time now."

The older man's features softened upon hearing the younger woman's hopeful words. Once again, amazement struck him at how she can continue to look at life with such optimism despite all the hardships life continued to throw at her.

"You do understand, don't you Shigure-san?" Tooru continued pleadingly, "He could wake up at any time now, and I want to be here when he does. So that's why, I can't go too far away from him. Thank you, and I'm sorry." 

Shigure stared at the younger woman in disbelief. He never thought the day would come that Tooru would actually use his tactics against him. Their innocent flower could be just as sneaky with this emotional blackmail once she put her mind in it. He let out a long sigh of defeat and gave the younger woman a gentle smile, "Ah, I must be loosing my touch. You, young fry, know exactly what strings to pull in order to influence this old man's fragile heart."

"Shigure-san, you're being too silly," Tooru let out another peal of laughter at that, "But I do need to ask a favour from you…"

"Of course, anything you wish, Tooru-kun."

"Do you mind staying with Yuki-kun for a while?" She whispered as a slight blush hinted on her cheeks, "I need to… go…"

Shigure raised an eyebrow and let out an amused grin. Only Tooru-kun would still get embarrassed about saying trivial things like that, "Now, look who's being silly. You're old enough to not ask permission for that."

"Ah… sou," Tooru stammered with a sheepish look as she stood up to give her husband a soft peck on the lips before straightening to leave. Then she stopped, as if suddenly remembering something, and faced the older man once again, "Ano… Shigure-san?"  
  


"Hmmm…"

"I also just wanted you to know that…" Tooru took the older man's hands into her own before continuing, "No matter what everyone else thinks… I trust you. I completely trust on whatever you decide."

The writer could only stare at the young woman, speechless.

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Tooru let out a small smile before making her way out of the room

"Ittarashai!" Shigure managed to call out playfully after her. As soon as she was gone, he turned to his younger cousin and gave him a more serious expression. He studied his sleeping cousin's features for a few moments before letting out a long sigh and sinking back into his chair.

"Ne, Yuki-kun," He began in a quiet voice, as he reached out for his younger cousin's hand, "I don't know what you did to deserve a girl like Tooru-kun. She's investing a lot of hope in you, so you better not disappoint her."

As expected, the sleeping figure didn't give any reply, save for the warmth that seemed to radiate from his hand. Shigure bit his lip and covered his eyes with his other hand, desperately trying to swallow back a sob that was making its way up his throat. The fingers of his other hand tightened its grip on the younger man's, afraid to let go.

To be continued…

~~@~~

This fic is dedicated …

To P.R. (November 2, 1925 – December 11, 2002), a dear friend's mother, who reminded me the fragility and uncertainty of human life.

And to S.B., a dear friend, who reminded me that the greatest show of strength is having the ability to move on.

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

 I don't know how I did it… but I actually pulled off chapter 2! Now, I really don't know what to do next. ^_^. So I'll be surprised with everyone else, ne?

I'm getting a lot of reaction to why I did that to Yuki. sweatdrops Well… I have my reasons. I just don't know how to explain it yet. And yes, I chose the brain aneurysm specifically.

Anywayz… some side medical knowledge notes… tracheal tubes… a lovely, disgusting devices. ^_^. In comatose people who can't breathe on their own, they normally start out with an airway tube inserted through the mouth right down to the lungs. But that's only temporary. Depending on what caused the coma, patients usually end up breathing on their own so they don't need an airway tube (or in the more morbid sense… like in Yuki's case, the family agrees to pull the plug and let their suffering member to rest in peace). But if they become long term like in Yuki's case, the surgically implant a tracheal tube via the throat. Remember that "anti-smoking" commercial with the lady smoking via a hole in her throat? That's a trach! 

Normally, that hole is connected to a respirator. Cleaning it is NASTY! It's actually one of the things that convinced me that psychiatric nursing is my field when I was a student. I remember when my preceptor was teaching me how to clean one for the first time. Anywayz, I thought I had everything perfect and by the book, when my preceptor suddenly pulled me to the side and told me I was standing on the wrong spot. Right on cue, the patient started coughing and the mother of all phlegm balls flew out of the trach and hit the wall via the spot where I used to be standing. My preceptor looked at me and said in a matter-of-fact voice as she pointed at the wall, "That could have been your face."

Like I said… trachs… lovely and disgusting devices…

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!  
Ina-chan


	3. Chapter 03

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

December 24, 2002

Fumei no Musubi

Chapter Three

By Ina-chan

The bright moonlight filtered through the windows, giving the room an eerie dim glow. Save for the sound of the medical equipment in the room, the sound of the evening was a sea of calm. The only occupant of the room continued his deep slumber, not bothered by the pale shafts of light landing on his face, completely unaware of his surroundings. He was completely unaware of the shadow that gradually appeared in the room. 

A shadow that grew bigger until it completely towered over him. Completely unaware of the delicate and slender hand that slowly reached out hesitantly to touch his face, only to stop midway and withdraw, as if afraid to be scalded. Completely unaware as the same hand slowly made its way to the clear plastic tube connected to his throat, slowly closing around it… 

…and faltering for a few moments. 

Only then at that moment's hesitation, that the owner of the hand noticed its involuntary trembling. The hand's sibling came to its aid, as if to help ease its shakiness… 

The sleeping figure continued to slumber innocently as two delicate hands prepared to make one quick yank…

"What are you doing?!" 

A pair of larger hands painfully grappled the smaller delicate ones. The owner of the smaller pair gasped in surprise, being roughly shoved by the owner of the larger pair away from the sleeping figure. She could only let herself get helplessly dragged out of the room. The smaller figure let out an involuntary whimper of pain as her captor led her out of the house's hallways, through one of the house's sliding doors, and unto the nearest courtyard, away from hearing distance of the other occupants of the house.

"What the hell were you doing?" The owner of the larger pair of hands hissed again 

She turned her head away, but her captor roughly turned her jaw to force her to meet his eyes.

"Answer me now, Rin!"

The young woman could only stare back silently at the dark eyes flashing down at her in anger. A tiny tinge of terror pierced through her entire being. 

"Don't you realize what you almost did?"

She had only seen him angry once. But back then, the intensity of his anger was nothing compared to the fury she was sensing in him now. She felt like a frightened child staring the bared fangs of a rabid dog.

 "Don't you realize what could have happened if I didn't catch you in time? You could have killed him!" 

Her arms started to feel numb as his fingers dug into her flesh and shook her shoulders violently. Another first. Though she felt the sting of his cruel words in the past. The sharp pain of his casual rejection carving through her heart like a razor… he was never like this. He never touched her like this… with unfeeling and unforgiving hands like Akito. Hands whose aim was nothing else but to force someone weaker into submitting into another's will. 

Then again… that's the nature of men. They come in all shapes and different packages. Most of the time, deceptively gift-wrapped in the illusion of kindness. But deep down inside, she knew how exactly how they really are. In the end, all of them were all the same. 

Cruel.

"Why did you try to do that?" His voice continued to demand angrily, "Answer me, Rin!"

"Gure-nii…" She whispered almost inaudibly,  "You're hurting me." 

The hands restraining her immediately loosened their hold. She felt him take a step away to give her more room to breathe. But the aura of distrust was still there. The invisible wall that he refused to let her pass through stood strong. The fact that he harbored ill feelings toward her was more painful than the rough way he physically handled her just a few moments before.

"I'm sorry," his voice was calm now. 

He turned around and took several steps away from her, before settling to sit down on the edge of the house's engawa. He fumbled through the folds of his yukata to produce a lighter and a package of cigarettes from his sleeves.  She watched him light a stick, before taking a long drag. Ironically enough, as if he were taking a long cleansing breath. His eyes turned back to her and watched her silently for a few more seconds before raising his arm toward her to offer his cigarette.

The young woman stepped forward and took the stick from his hand and settled down beside him, within respectable distance. She, too, took a slow long drag and held her breath, to let the smoke settle in her lungs to calm her own frayed nerves. Then lazily watch the smoke swirl in the air before her as she let it escape from her lungs in the same manner. She handed back the stick and they sat together in relative silence, waiting for the other to begin.

"What are you doing here?" His voice finally broke the awkward silence

"How am I doing? Why I'm so-so, thank you. It's been a while, hasn't it, Gure-nii? What have I been up to lately? Well, nothing much… mostly wallowing in self-pity and drowning in remorse. By the way, Haru has been doing a good job distracting Akito since you abandoned him, while everyone else is busy fussing over Mr. Sleeping Beauty. But it's still a very difficult job to stay sane with, so I help him out once in a while on my free time. Listening to Akito wallow in self-pity and drown in remorse is change of pace in my otherwise monotone lifestyle. Thank you for asking how I'm doing," The young woman drawled sarcastically, "Now how are you?"

The older man gave no reaction to the young woman's speech, and simply drew in another drag from his cigarette.

"There's no crime against visiting a ill relative, is there?" She finally stated blandly, when she received no reply

"Interesting," Shigure replied in the same bland tone, "Since when did you start caring about what happens to Yuki? For as long as I can remember, you've hated him with almost the same intensity as Kyou."

"Funny, I should ask the same about you," The woman retorted, "As far as I can remember, you never really cared about anybody else to the point of defying Akito."

"That only comes to show that you don't know me at all," The man countered

"What I don't know…" The young woman laughed sardonically, "…is what exactly are you getting out of this."

The writer simply silently lifted the cigarette back to his lips and took another long drag.

"Is it fun, Gure-nii?" Rin continued giving the older man a mocking smile, "Is it fun pretending to be Akito? Playing with Yuki and that woman's lives as you please? Is it fun pretending to be God?"

Shigure's eyes darkened, still gave no reply to the woman's taunting other the silent sound of blowing out the smoke in his lungs from his drag, "Just be relieved that Hatori convinced Tooru-kun to get some rest and not stay with Yuki tonight. If she was here to witness what you almost did, I would never forgive you."

The young woman bit her lip as a scowl immediately marred her pretty face, "Tooru-kun… Tooru-kun… I'm sick and tired of hearing that name."

The novelist couldn't help but give the young woman a curious glance. This wasn't a secret. He was aware that this… unspoken rivalry… had been going on for quite some time. Though he never really put his finger on the real reason why his younger cousin hated their innocent flower. At one time, he thought it was simply because of Yuki's affections for Tooru… of all the Jyuunishi's unconditional affections for Tooru. 

But this evening…

"Or maybe…" Rin paused, the frown on her face instantly melting as a thought occurred to her, "Perhaps… Gure-nii has actually fallen in love with her." 

There was something different about this evening…

"Shame on you, Gure-nii. Already trying to make moves on the grieving widow-to-be. The corpse hasn't even stopped breathing yet," The young woman let out a peal of silver laughter, "I bet you, yourself, wanted to pull the plug on Yuki. That's just too bad. If you didn't stop me, then you wouldn't need to have to stain your conscience."

"Keep those filthy thoughts from spilling out from that filthy mouth. Other wise, I'll make sure that mouth will swallow a bar of soap then rinse it with a bottle of bleach," The man finally stated in a low and dangerous tone, "It's just like you to twist a situation to fit into your own distorted perception of the world." 

"Why are you protecting her? Why is everyone protecting her?" Rin snapped back angrily, "I already warned her to stay away from us. She's an outsider. She had no business associating with us." 

"She's no longer an outsider, Rin. She's a Souma's wife," Shigure stated nonchalantly, "and the future mother of a Souma child."

The young woman gaped at the older man in shocked disbelief. She quickly rose to her feet and clenched her fists, "How could this have happened?" 

"Well, Rin-chan… it's only to be expected…" Shigure raised an eyebrow, a derisive smirk reaching his lips, "When a man and a woman love each other…"

"SHUT UP!" The woman hissed as she faced the writer once again, "This is all her fault! If she listened in the first place and left us alone, none of this would have happened! You know that! This is all her fault! But still, you… all of you… still continue to protect her! "

Shigure frowned. He had known this young woman since she was a child. She was headstrong…  Stubborn… Set on her own ways… Have the tendency to indulge in violent outbursts… But there was something different this time. "Rin…"

"I'm sick of it! I'm sick of all of this! I'm sick of you and Akito and the little games that the both of you enjoy playing!"

"Rin, what's wrong?" Genuine concern was laced in his voice. 

"You think that I'm so young and naïve as not to understand what will happen after Yuki dies."

"Rin, what are you talking about?" Beneath that rage, he could sense it. 

"And you're afraid of it too, aren't you? Because you're going to be second last... you're going to be forced to watch before your turn. That's the real reason why you're so determined to keep him alive. That's why you're delaying the inevitable."

"Did Akito say something to you?" 

Beneath her fury, he could smell it.

"If I'm destined to that fate, I'd rather take in my own terms. Even if it means killing him with my own hands."

"What did Akito say to you?" 

Beneath that ire was….

"I AM NOT A TOY FOR YOU AND AKITO TO PLAY WITH!"

"RIN!"  

… the undeniable stench of fear.

The writer watched her turn on her heels and walk through the courtyard before the shadows that the bright moon didn't reach swallowed her disappearing figure. He took one final drag before flicking the cigarette butt from his fingers and crushing the glowing ember on the ground with the heel of his slipper. He then turned on his heels and started to make his way back inside the house, through the halls and the corridors, and into that infernal room that reeked of many generations of death. 

The Souma Family curse carried so much sorrow and pain that it is close to impossible to determine all the secrets it hid within its heavy load. But he had a fairly good idea what "secret" Akito may have revealed to Rin. It was really just a stupid family folklore… but he could understand why his younger cousin would be frightened of it. Most specially since the shadow of death looms near.

Nevertheless… it still sucked having to play the role of the villain.

The writer let out a sigh and looked at his slumbering cousin wistfully, "Nee, Yuki-kun… this better be worth it. You owe me big time."

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

                I decided to introduce this particular element in the storyline. I still have no idea how to end this, BUT I have the next 3 chapters figured out at least. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish "Monogatari" before I tackle chapter 5… or it will be major spoilage. Monogatari is actually finished in my head. It's probably the most organized fic I've ever formulated. BUT I just can't seem to have the motivation to sit down and put it on paper! ^_^. HAAAAA! Two more chapters and an epilogue to go…

Anywayz… I decided to give Akito a fairly important role in this fic. When he'll show up and what it is… we'll just have to wait and see. 

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!  
Ina-chan


	4. Chapter 04

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

January 12, 2003

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Four

By Ina-chan

"Shigure-san, sorry for making you wait. Hatori-san will see you in his office now."

"Thank you, Midori-chan," The writer winked at the young girl who ushered him into Ha-san's quarters. The young helper made a small, embarrassed giggle, as she ducked her head and exited the room. The writer's expression changed to a more serious look as soon as he was alone once again.

The old woman seemed to have become more protective to Hatori to require such formalities even with him. Not that he blamed her… between Yuki and Akito alone, Hatori had been burning the wick from both ends of the candle. It hadn't helped with the fact that Kagura was nearing her due date… and now Tooru being pregnant…

He raised a hand, trying to rub his own weariness out of his eyes. The early evening light shone down the dim hallways, illuminating his profile. He had been so engrossed with what he was doing earlier that he didn't even realize how late it had become. It was really very frustrating. Even after literally turning the whole room upside down since the past week, his search still yielded no results. 

Momiji would definitely be upset with him. He asked the younger man to stay with Yuki until he returned. Tooru went shopping for baby things with Kagura and Ayame that day, with a reluctant Kyou at tow of course… Hatsuharu was most likely with Akito again… Kisa was in school… So it was unlikely that anyone passed by to relieve him. 

Even though Rin never showed herself again since that night, he still wasn't comfortable with leaving Yuki alone even for a single minute. It was probably just his dog-like nature overreacting, but still, it was better safe than sorry. It wasn't too much of an adjustment since Tooru and/or Ayame were always there in the first place. It was only during days like today that make the situation rather complicated. 

It was rather difficult to convince Momiji the importance guarding Yuki 24-hours a day, while omitting the important "variables" in his reasoning. He clearly doubted that despite Momiji's easy-going nature, the younger man would stay that long even to just humour him.  Besides, he told the rabbit that he would only be gone a few minutes.

Unfortunately, his "few minutes" ended five hours ago.

"Ah, well, it can't be helped, so there's no use worrying about it," Shigure said out loud to nobody in particular 

Besides, there were other more pressing matters to worry about. 

He stopped in front of a familiar doorway and crossed his arms over his chest, his forehead wrinkling in hesitation. Before Momiji, Hatori would definitely give him a severe tongue-lashing once the writer reveals the Rin "incident" this late. He thought he could handle it on his own before things got more complicated, but it was obvious that it was impossible now. 

The only other person who knew about that object was Hatori. So, more than ever, he needed Hatori's help. The dog made an involuntary wince. He'll probably get a separate tongue-lashing for being careless about that other thing too. He slumped his shoulders and let out another long sigh as he made his way through the office door.

"Ya, Ha-san!" Shigure greeted cheerfully and poked his head through the door 

"What do you want?" The doctor's monotonous voice state curtly, not bothering to look up from the paper work he was sifting through on his desk

 "That's cold! And here I was, thinking that by coming here I'll give you would like a well-deserved enjoyable distraction," Shigure replied in mock pain 

"Unlike some people, there are persons who take their work seriously," Hatori snapped  

Shigure frowned. The dragon seemed to be even more stressed out than usual today. Though the doctor looked like his normal neat self, there were unmistakable dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. Despite his habit, Hatori was never really what one would call a chain-smoker. Thus, the full ashtray on his desk and the empty cigarette packets on the wastebasket stuck out to the writer like a sore thumb. 

Automatically, the writer took his cigarette packet from his pocket and offered the open box to the other man. Hatori stopped and gratefully took a stick that he automatically lit and puffed like a drowning man offered a life-saving floating device.

"Are you all right?" Shigure asked worriedly

"Right now, I'm wishing that I didn't listen to my practical sensibilities back in high school regarding getting into med school," Hatori replied as he let out a long drag

"That bad, huh?" Shigure grinned as he idly took one of the documents that his cousin was pouring over, his eyes widening upon realizing what's written on it, "Kagura?"

The doctor snatched the paperwork from the writer's hand, "You shouldn't be reading other people's confidential files."

"Hatori, what's this about? Is there something wrong with Kagura?" The writer demanded

The doctor sighed, "Kagura was showing early symptoms of preeclampsia. These are just results from the routine blood work I sent to the hospital. It's nothing serious… yet. She'll be fine as long as she watches her diet and don't over-exert herself. She's not going to like it, but if bad comes to worse, I simply order complete bed rest."

"That's a relief," Shigure let out an open breath of relief at the dragon's words, before letting an impish smile to touch his lips,  "Though, I don't think I can say the same thing about Kyou."

"So what was it that you wanted?" Hatori asked again, in a more courteous tone, as he fixed the papers scattered on his desk

Shigure lit his own cigarette before settling to take a seat, "How's Akito?"

Hatori raised a surprised eyebrow, "What?"

"How's Akito?" Shigure repeated again

"He's the same," Hatori replied

"How 'the same'?" Shigure asked blandly

 "He still won't be capable of making any threats to anyone, if that's what you want to hear," Hatori answered, "You know that he's started to be like this since Yuki's wedding. "

Shigure sank into his seat and closed his eyes… Yuki and Tooru's wedding… all of them braced themselves for that. They made elaborate plans and preparations, expecting Akito's wrath to fall on them. As much as he hated to admit it, he was terrified shitless of what could have happened. He'd already seen what Akito was capable of doing. 

But at the same time, he couldn't let Yuki and Tooru go through what's supposed to be the happiest day of their lives with that fear over their heads.  True and eternal love… God only knows how much he dreamed of it. Though he couldn't attain it for himself, he wasn't about to let any more of his cousins go through what he, Hatori, or Ayame went through all just because on the whim of a spoiled little brat.

It's funny though… Akito's wrath never fell. 

In fact, since Yuki and Tooru's wedding, Akito was never the same. Isolating himself… withdrawing into himself… becoming a mere shadow of himself… shifting interchangeably between quick periods of sanity and insanity. As cruel as it may sound, it was a blessing in disguise. They have, after all, acquired a form of relative freedom. 

Kyou was released from his prison and Kagura was able to chain him into a more pleasurable jail sentence. Ironically, it was Yuki who became an acting figurehead for the Souma Family in Akito's behalf. But since Yuki's illness, the responsibilities were irrevocably and informally passed down to Shigure, as Yuki's official power-of-attorney…. a responsibility, to everyone's exasperation, that the writer had been skillfully running away from. 

It was a miracle that the Souma Family still existed.

"What brought this up?" Hatori's voice inquired, breaking the writer's train of thoughts. 

It was a valid question. After Akito had officially become a harmless loon, Shigure had pretty much avoided having to do anything with the deposed Family Head. The writer let out another sigh as he prepared himself for the inevitable tongue-lashing. "Rin visited Yuki one night last week."

The doctor gave the other man yet another surprised look, "Rin?"

Shigure watched his cousin's face cautiously before daring to speak, "She tried to disconnect his respirator."

He made an involuntary flinch as he noticed the doctor's gray eyes flash darkly. "This happened last week? Why wasn't I told?"

"Because it wasn't what she did that was important, it's why she did it," Shigure stated calmly before taking a long drag from his cigarette

"What!?" Hatori's quiet voice boomed clearly in the room, as he gave his cousin a look of disbelief

"Ne, do you remember that conversation in the library that New Year when Yuki danced for the first time?" Shigure asked, ignoring the doctor's reaction

"This is serious Shigure, why didn't you tell me right away? She could have killed him," Hatori demanded, his voice slowly rising angrily

"Do you remember Souma Iwaku's version of the Jyuunishi legend?" Shigure repeated more insistently

"Yes, what has that got to do with this?" Hatori retorted irritably

"Rin knows about it," Shigure stated bluntly

The dragon froze and gave the dog another incredulous look, "What? How?"

"She said that Akito told him," The dog replied, "Hatori… she was terrified. Whatever it is that Akito said, she was freaked out to the point that she was willing to kill Yuki for it."

"Akito told her… That's impossible," Hatori slowly shook his head before abruptly getting on his feet to pace around the room as he puffed more tenaciously on his half-smoked cigarette.  

"I know that Akito has been mumbling incoherent nonsense most of the time… but what if for some miracle, during one of his lapses of… reason… Akito managed to get a hold of that diary? I've been searching the library all week and could not find a trace or shadow of that book. I know I should have followed your advice and burned it… but it's family history. I was sure I hid it where no one can find it… but it just... disappeared…" 

"That's impossible," Hatori insisted as he continued his pacing

"Eh? Ha-san?" Shigure blinked upon realizing that the tongue-lashing he expected was not going to happen, "Ha-san? Are you all right? What's the matter?"

 "That's just impossible… there is no way for Akito to be able to know that," the dragon continued firmly, though for some strange reason, it sounded more as if he's trying to convince himself

"But that's the only logical explanation, right? How else can you explain the diary disappearing and Akito knowing all this?" Shigure replied uncertainly, as he got on his feet, "Ha-san? Why is it impossible?"

"It's impossible for Akito or anyone else to know it…" Hatori spun around and faced the other man, "…because after the party, I went back and burned that damned book," 

Shigure's eyes widened in silent disbelief as his cousin's words registered in his mind. But before he could make any other reaction, Hatori's office door burst open to reveal Momiji's flushed face as he bent down, desperately trying to catch his breath.

"Momichi?" Shigure stared at the younger man in reply, "Momichi, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay with Yuki-kun until I got back?"

"Eh… eh… e-mergency…" Momiji managed to gasp between breaths, "…come… quick… Yuki…"

~~@~~

                The young woman hummed softly to herself as she made her way down the Main House's old halls, carrying a vase of fresh flowers in one hand and fairly large shopping bag in the other. It had been a long and tiring day, though she was thankful that she wasn't as worn out as Kagura. It was a good thing both Kyou and Ayame were there to help them. Though she had to admit, Ayame's hyperactive pace was not very helpful in conserving their energy.  Kagura's mood swings and Kyou's limited patience were also equally trying.

Still, it was a very nice day. She had fun looking at all the cute baby things, though they had to make an extra-conscious effort to steer away from the baby clothes in Ayame-'s presence. And despite Kagura and Kyou's petty bickering between Ayame's occasional teasing, she caught the tender expression on Kyou's face as Kagura showed him one cute item after the next. She couldn't help but feel a tiny bit envious though. She would have given anything to have Yuki beside her, and seeing that same expression on his face.

"It's all right Tooru," She cheerfully said out loud to herself, "You can show Yuki-kun all the things you bought in his ro---"

Her footsteps faltered and stopped, a strange and uneasy feeling suddenly washed over her as she neared her destination. She clutched the vase closer to her chest, as if warding off a cold chill. She hadn't experienced a cold premonitory feeling like this since… She clenched her teeth and forced herself to hasten her movements. 

Her heart skipped a beat as the limited view of her husband's bed from the doorway came to eyeshot. She wasn't certain for sure, but she could have sworn… she could see the profile of a familiar slender build standing by her husband's bed. Can it be? It can't be her imagination. Please don't let it be her imagination! Tears started to pool in the corners of her eyes as she burst almost breathlessly through the door…

"YUKI-KU---!!!" Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes widened in incredulous shock as the scene before her registered in her mind. 

Her husband, still lay, sleeping peacefully, and undisturbed on his bed. The person with the familiar slender build was not her imagination either. He stood by her husband's bed, his back turned to her, silently watching the sleeping young man. The vase of flowers slipped from her numb fingers and fragile crystal shattered loudly on the floor. Only then, did the figure seemed to have noticed her presence and slowly turned around. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she found herself staring into those identical, yet different, hypnotizing gray eyes. 

He stared at her expressionlessly for a few moments before cocking his head to one side and giving her that familiar smile that never quite reached his eyes, "Good evening, Tooru-san…"

"G-good evening…" She managed to reply through her nervous and parched throat, "….Akito-san…"

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

                For partial information on what the hell Shigure and Hatori were talking about, see "Jyuunishi  Enkei no Monogatari", available in Fanfiction.net.  Haaa… it's ironic that this random fic is quickly becoming a follow-up to "Monogatari"… even more ironic is the fact that "Monogatari" isn't even finished yet. GAAAAH! I'm going to finish that damn fic even if it kills me! ^_^.

                Anywayz… the developments in this chapter completely took me by surprise, to be quite honest. I wasn't planning on bringing Akito out so early… Actually, this isn't my original chapter four! (That chapter is now shoved aside to appear on chapter seven… I guess. Unless any last minute changes occurs again.). It's just that when I started typing this, it just started to get a life of its own! Ah well… Next chapter is definite spoilage for "Monogatari". I'll try to finish that fic first, but if the muses fail to inspire me with that, I'll just continue with "Fumei" anyway. I hope everyone is enjoying this fic so far… because I sure am enjoying writing it! Who knew that not knowing where the story is headed for next can be so much fun? ^_^. I just hope I don't loose my focus…

                Time for a brief medical lecture! I'm putting it on layman's terms to make it easier to understand! ^_^.

Preeclampsia is an abnormal condition during pregnancy that occurs roughly 7-8 months in the term. The main concern with preeclampsia is the high blood pressure, abnormally high protein levels, and water retention that can lead to many complications. Problems include… kidney problems, water collecting in the lungs (that can lead to nasty stuff like pneumonia), brain hemorrhage, and health problems for the unborn baby.  The biggest complication that doctors want to avoid with preeclampsia is the condition leading to eclampsia which is VERY VERY serious. How serious? Both mom and baby can die. Usually, when that occurs, birth has to be either induced or a cesarean operation has to be done. Baby is still a preemie, but it increases both mom and baby's survival.

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!  
Ina-chan


	5. Chapter 05

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

March 14, 2003

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Five

By Ina-chan

"Tooru-san?" His quiet voice filtered through her stunned consciousness once again, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Ah…" She blinked in confusion, before turning her flustered attention to the mess on the floor, "AH! I'm sorry! I'm fine! I'm made a mess! I'm sorry! Let me clean it up!"

She bent down to pick up the broken shards of crystal on the floor, feeling the small hairs at the back of her neck prickle, as she sensed his eyes silently watching her. He stood there, unmoving, making no attempt to stop her or to help her. Though, she was grateful for having an excuse to not look straight into those gray eyes. 

Those eyes… 

Once again, it struck her. How is it that can two people have those identical gray eyes, yet at the same time, be completely different? 

"How ironic," Akito's quiet tone rang again before falling into a peal of amused laughter

She couldn't help but raise her head. He was still standing there, laughing quietly as his gaze fixed on the window across the room, "Akito-san?" 

"This room…" His voice trailed as he turned his attention back to her, "Yuki and I used to play in this very room when we were children."

The woman stared at the man, "I suppose this room holds a lot of fond memories for you."

A sardonic smirk lined the man's lips, as his gaze turned to a darkened corner in the room,  "Yuki was a spoiled sport and a cry baby. When he lost and he would curl up into a ball and cry right over there. It was really pathetic…"

The ghostly apparition of a little boy silently sobbing in the corner immediately appeared in the young woman's mind's eye. Pain suddenly shot through her heart and her hands unconsciously tightened their grip on the shard of crystal in her hands, "What kind of game was it?"

The raven-haired man made his way to the seat beside her husband's bed and sat there, his hypnotic eyes steadily, and almost painfully, holding hers. He gave her another chilling smile and cocked his head innocently to one side before replying.

"Prisoner's base."

Her lips moved to say something in reply, but she was surprised to realize that her voice was stuck in her throat. She didn't know exactly the reason why, but somehow, his simple statement brought about a shiver down her spine. In the back of her mind, she couldn't understand how it was possible for two people can play such a game. She quickly dismissed it as she turned her attention back to the Family Head, with a slight frown. Akito had always had that scary and intimidating air around him… but for some reason… there was something even more odd about Akito now. Whatever it was, she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Tooru-san, are you sure you're all right?" Akito asked again, "You seem a little pale."

"N-no… I'm fine," The woman replied nervously, "I'm just a little tired."

"Your hand is bleeding," He noted non-chalantly, making a passing glance on the young woman's injured flesh

"I-I'm so-sorry…" Tooru snapped into attention, dropping the crystal shard on the floor as if suddenly scalded. She automatically reached for a nearby hand towel and wrapped it around her injured hand.

"You should take better care of yourself. Most specially in your condition," Akito commented monotonously, "We wouldn't want something bad to happen to you as well now, do we?"

Once again, she shot the Family Head another look of surprise. Akito held her gaze without a single hint of expression for a few awkward moments before lapsing into an amused, but non-malicious, look. "Hatsuharu mentioned the good news. Congratulations."

"A-ah… yes… thank you…" Tooru replied hesitantly, unconsciously putting a protective hand over her now slightly swelling belly.

The Clan watched her for few moments before speaking, "Tooru-san."

"Hai?" The young woman straightened up in attention 

"For some reason, I have this vague feeling that I'm not welcome here," Akito stated bluntly, smiling innocently cocking his head to one side

"NO!" Tooru replied more forcefully than she intended, before turning several shades of red from her uncharacteristic outburst, "I- I mean… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell. It was just surprising to see Akito-san here… Shigure-san said that…"

The smile immediately disappeared from the man's face, his voice dropping into a harsh monotone, "I felt well today. I thought I would pay Yuki a visit. I haven't had the chance to see him… for a long time."

"Ah…" Tooru ducked her head. Despite of herself, she immediately feeling a small hint of guilt upon hearing the Family Head's carefully selected words. There was no denying that she was partly the reason why Yuki never made an effort to visit Akito since after the ceremony, "I'm sure Yuki-kun is happy that you're here."

Akito smirked and turned his stoic attention to the sleeping figure on the bed, "That's impossible."

Tooru blinked, puzzled at the man's reaction, "Why?"

"Because Yuki hates me…" Akito smirked in an almost inaudible voice, "…Yuki already hated me before he was even born…"

Tooru frowned, her kind nature overpowering her anxiety. She clasped her hands together and looked at the Clan head with great concern, "Akito…san?"

"Nee, Tooru-san… Can I tell you a story?" Akito asked, turning back to her with a sweet expression on his face

"Y-yes," Tooru answered, feeling a little unnerved at the Clan Head's sudden change of pace. 

"Once upon a time, God called upon to the animals of the forest to attend a great banquet and made it a point not to be late. The Mouse tricked the Cat, so the Cat was not able to attend. So that's why, the cat was not a part of the twelve …" The young man began, his voice attaining a faraway quality, "But did you know that there was another side to that story?"

All traces of fear completely disappearing in her being upon hearing the young man's words as she curiously stepped nearer to the young man seated before her, "What do you mean? Akito-san?"

"You see…" Akito looked at the sleeping figure before them with a genuine sorrowful expression, "God didn't want the Mouse to be part of the twelve."

"What?"

"At that time, the Mouse was the most revered creature in the land, with beauty and cunning that rivals that of the legendary Princess Kaguya. True to the rumoured reputation, the Mouse was able to see through God's plan and tricked the Cat to protect him." 

The young woman's eyes widened, "Protect… him?"

"Stupid… stupid… that damn stupid mouse…" The man muttered under his breath as he got on his feet

Tooru took an involuntary step backward. Once again, in less than a split second, the Souma Head's demeanor made a complete unpredictable 180degree turn. She was tempted to rush out of the room, to try to get Hatori-san or Shigure-san… anyone… But the almost menacing way he towered over her husband's sleeping figure immediately made her hesitate at the thought of leaving them alone, "Akito-san, what's wrong?"

"I could have made you happy.  But you had to choose him. You had to protect him. Now look where it got you now, you bitch. Now you're even more trapped than the rest of us. Fitting to the pathetically hopeless little mouse that you are." The man's voice rose angrily as he stepped closer to the sleeping younger man before him. But for some reason, he stopped. Not being able to clear the minute physical space separating them, as being repelled by some invisible force. 

He gazed at the slumbering young man before him. Completely unresponsive to what was happening around him… completely unaware of the Souma Head's presence… The young woman watched with baited breath, as the man stood unmoving… barely even breathing. She took a step closer and covered her mouth to stifle a gasp of surprise. It was only then that she saw the silent streams of clear liquid, openly running down the man's eyes.

"Akito-sa…" The woman began uncertainly as she took another step toward the man

 "AAAAAAAH!!!!" The man suddenly screamed as he pulled at his hair. As if struggling against an intense internal pain, "WHY DO YOU KEEP DOING THIS!?!? WHY DO YOU KEEP RUNNING AWAY FROM ME!?!? WHY!?!? WHY!?!? WHY!?!?"

"Akito-san!" Tooru cried out in alarm, rushed forward to close the remaining gap between them.  She grabbed on to the dark-haired man's arm just as the man suddenly collapsed and fell on his knees. The young woman's eyes widened, totally unsure of what to do "AKITO-SAN!!"

"All I wanted… all I ever wanted…" Akito continued on, as he buried his face onto one hand, his voice dropping into a pathetic, almost childish, whine, "…was to see you…"

"Akito-san…" The young woman whispered softly, still holding on to the man's arm. She had no idea what just happened, but it really didn't matter anymore. She could sense the genuine sorrow in the Souma Family head's emotions. Something was torturing him… 

"I don't understand," The man stated softly, once again, in his earlier monotone 

"What is it, Akito-san?" Tooru inquired in her gentle tone

"Why are they all drawn to you?" Akito replied, as he slowly shifted around to face the young woman beside him. His gray eyes bore into the brown spheres that stared back at him. His fingers slowly started to twine themselves between her brown locks, "Why is that when…you're just an outsider?"

Tooru frowned, puzzled with the man's words, "Akito-san…? I don't… understand…"

"Why is SHE so drawn to you when you are just an…" Akito repeated his words as his fingers very slowly tightened their grasp on her hair,"…outsider…"

"AKITO!" 

The two occupants of the room turned to the direction of the voice with a start. The man instantly pulled his hand away from the woman's tresses as three newcomers stepped into the room, walking toward them.

"Hatori-san," Tooru said breathlessly, not bothering to hide her relief. 

"Akito," The doctor's disapproving tone even made the young woman make an involuntary wince, "You know shouldn't go about the complex alone."

Akito frowned childishly at the Dragon, "Don't treat me like a child. I felt well today, so I came to visit Yuki.  And I didn't feel like taking a walk with my nannies."

"Nonetheless, you shouldn't go on your own without telling anyone, Akito," A familiar monotonous drone stated firmly.

Once again, Tooru's face reflected her surprise when the face of the owner of the voice registered in her mind, "Hatsuharu-kun? Kureno…san…"

The white-haired young man gave her a nod of acknowledgement, before silently turning his attention to their third companion. The auburn haired man stepped forward and silently offered his hand to the Family head. 

"Don't treat me like a child," Akito stated in a firmer tone as he slapped the taller man's hand away before getting on his feet. He made a show of brushing invisible dirt from the seat of his pants before turning his attention back to the young woman staring up at them, still sitting on the floor. 

Tooru could only stare back mutely, at the now cold gray eyes boring down at her, despite the polite smile that accompanied it.

"It was good to see you Tooru-san," Akito said with a polite nod, "Make sure you have Hatori check your wound. We don't want it to get infected."

"Ye-yes!" The woman replied automatically, once again, feeling unnerved at the Family Head's unpredictable chameleon-like disposition

Without another word, the dark-haired man turned to his heels and briskly walked out of the room, the Rooster, silently at tow. Haru held out his hand to help her up, in which she accepted gratefully.

"Did he cause any trouble?" Hatori immediately asked a-matter-of-factly as soon as the Family Head was out of earshot

"N-no!" Tooru automatically replied, "He simply came to see how Yuki-kun is doing."

"Is everything alright? To-ru?" Momiji asked as he peeked cautiously into the room from the entrance way

"Momiji-kun!" She called out brightly, as she flashed the younger man a grateful smile. All at once, it was perfectly clear to her on who was responsible for bringing the calvary, "Yes, everything is alright!"

The blonde man instantly rushed to the young woman's side and clung to her arm, "I'm so relieved. Akito just barged in, and I didn't know what to do."

"It's okay, Momiji-kun," Tooru replied reassuringly as she tousled the younger man's hair affectionately

"AH! What happened to your hand?" Momiji exclaimed in alarm, noting the drying bloodstains that seeped through the pristine hand towel, still wrapped around her injured hand

"AAAH! It's nothing!" Tooru waved her hand, "I was just clumsy and dropped a vase. Then cut myself trying to clean up."

"Let me take a look at it," Hatori commanded

"It's okay, really!" Tooru insisted, "It's just a small cut! It's not bleeding anymore, either."

"I apologize for him suddenly appearing unannounced," Haru said with a rueful bow, "It was my fault."

"But it was no trouble at all! It was nice of him to take time to visit," Tooru protested in a cheerful tone, before stopping as a thought hit her, "Ano… where is Shigure-san?"

"In my office," Hatori stated as he turned his attention to his slumbering patient, before silently mumbling 'hiding' under his breath. He sighed and idly studied the numbers on the bedside monitor in front of him. Once again, another frown lined the doctor's forehead.

"Hatori-niisan? Is there something wrong?" Haru called out in concern, his strong intuition immediately sensing something amiss on his older cousin's body language

"Yuki's pulse and blood pressure just seems to be a little elevated than normal today…" Hatori commented absently 

"Well… Akito's presence can even make the dead turn on its grave," Momiji commented, putting his hands behind his head, non-chalantly

"Momiji…" Haru immediately gave his cousin a stern reprimanding glare

"I'm sure it's just from all the excitement that happened," Tooru simply made a nervous laugh, as she moved closer to her husband's bedside. Then she suddenly stopped on her tracks, her eyes widening in astonishment. She pointed her finger excitedly at her husband's hand, "Hatori-san! Look!" It was subtle to the casual observer. But sure enough, the sleeping young man's fingers seemed to be moving on their own accord, "Yuki-kun?"

"Yuki? Can you hear me?" Hatori called out as he pried open the young man's eyes and flashed the tiny penlight he fished from his pocket, "Give us a sign if you can hear me." 

The occupants of the room watched in silent anticipation and delight as the movement of the Mouse's hand became even more pronounced. Their hopefulness, however, turned to horror when the sleeping figure's entire body stiffened and started jerking erratically… in time with the sporadic and frantic beeps of the monitor.

Hatori swore under his breath as he immediately turned Yuki on his side, making sure that the delicate instruments that ensured his patient's breathing were not disturbed until the seizure passed. He threw Hatsuharu a silent command before calmly turning to the stunned rabbit. He motioned his head toward the portable apparatus resting on the table, "Momiji, get the suction ready."

"Hatori-sa---" Tooru began, but immediately got cut off as she felt the Ox's strong grip around her shoulders as he steered her out of the room. She gave the younger man a frightened look as he calmly slid the door behind them, cutting them off from what was happening inside the room, "Hatsuharu-kun…"

"Don't worry. Yuki will be just fine," Haru replied, his voice filled with uncharacteristic emotion, "This time, we won't fail."

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

                WAI! It is my Dad's birthday today, so I'm glad I finally got this chapter out of my head before it drove me crazy! I still have so much to do!

                Anywayz… things are starting to take a more and more mysterious tone, ne? I wasn't sure how to portray Akito in this one… I wanted to show how even more mentally unstable he's become because of a still to be revealed obsession that he's taken on to… BUT at the same time, I still wanted him to stay in character with his original characterization. I hope I managed to pull that off.

                I know this chapter is a break from the usual format… since so far, everything has been in Shigure's point of view… but there's a reason for that too. ^_^. Let's just say, Shigure isn't ready to face Akito again… yet. So as Hatori said, Shigure was basically hiding… Or is he? ^_^. We all know how unpredictable Shigure really is. Well… in the next chapter… Shigure will be back. And things seem to be going to turn for a worse… I'm thinking of putting in another character whom we haven't seen in a while in the original series… but I haven't really decided if it's really necessary to do that. Well… we'll see. Until then, thanks for continuing to read! ^_^.

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!   
Ina-chan


	6. Chapter 06

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

April 28, 2003

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Six

By Ina-chan

"…I would appreciate it if you came. Tooru-kun has been refusing to leave his side. I know it's understandable, but with her condition... I know… I know, I'm sorry. I should have told you earlier…" The writer's voice filtered clearly in the quiet hallway, as he mindlessly tapped his index finger against the public phone against the wall, "We're still waiting for the doctor and the test results. Yes… he's had two or three more since we arrived… So you'll come right away? Yes, I know… I already said sorry, didn't I? I won't do it again. Well, then… I'll see you in bit… Ja!" 

Shigure hung up the phone and took a deep sigh. It was very rare to see Ayame seriously angry. It was even more rare to see Ayame seriously angry with him!

On top of that… He hated being here. The long pale green corridors… the dull and muted lighting… the sickening antiseptic smell. Unfortunately, of course, there was no helping it. Hatori sent Yuki to the hospital for further tests immediately after that first seizure. The sleeping mouse has had several more within the past 8 hours. It wasn't just the fact that he disliked anything related to illness and injections... there was also the fact that they're risking the Souma Family secret simply by bringing Yuki here.

He stopped in front of Room 532. The room housing a special case, wherein specific trusted male-only staff, were hired to care for the person staying there.  That's one of the frills of being a major founder of a hospital… special treatment and extreme cooperation of the staff and board of directors. But the paranoia of Yuki suddenly transforming as a result of a million and one scenarios that can go wrong settled uncomfortably in the pit of his stomach. Yet, it wasn't just the danger of discovery. If Yuki were to transform now, it would surely mean his death. And to make things worse, Hatori was not there. 

It was a totally unprecedented move by his overly cautious cousin... as a matter of fact, Hatori was the cause to why Yuki was brought back to the main house almost immediately after the last desperate attempts the doctors in the hospital did to attempt to save his younger cousin's life. Hatori literally breathed down the hospital staff's necks, to ensure he was nearby just in case Yuki had a sudden transformation. However… for some strange reason… Hatori sent the writer in his stead this time. Come to think of it, Hatori seemed distracted in their last telephone conversation. But the doctor skillfully evaded any inquiries Shigure made relating to why he was not attending to Yuki personally. 

He finally opened the door and found her almost exactly how he left her.  The blanket over her shoulders was now a puddle lump on the floor. It probably slid off when she shifted in her sleep. Other than that, there was no other evidence of movement. She sat there, dozing on a chair by her husband's bedside, her cheek resting over their twined fingers. The writer made another sigh. Since they left the Main House, she hasn't let go of his hand even for a brief moment.  With almost paternal care, he gently fixed the blanket over the younger woman's shoulders. She stirred at the action, before sitting up to rub her eyes. 

"Ah! I'm sorry," Shigure quickly apologized, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I should be the one to say that," Tooru replied as she gave the writer a tired smile, "I'm sorry for rudely dozing off like that."

"If it were up to me, Tooru-kun will be back at home, resting," Shigure sighed in exaggerated exasperation, "Unfortunately, this old man becomes powerless under the teary-eyed gaze of pretty young women."

"Shigure-san, don't be so silly!" Despite of herself, the young woman let out a soft laugh, before her features sobered to a more serious expression, "Anou… was Shigure-san able to talk to the doctor looking after Yuki-kun?"

The writer shook his head, "Not yet, but I did manage to talk to Ha-san. He said that he talked his colleague. As soon as they finish going over the MRI results, we should hear from them soon…"

"I see…" Tooru replied with a small frown as she instinctively tightened her fingers with her husband's

"Tooru-kun… if Ha-san trusts this person about the Souma Family curse, I'm sure we can do the same…" Shigure said reassuringly

"It's not that…" The young woman replied with a shake of her head, "It's just that… everything has been so strange. Hatori-san seems so unnaturally distant with this particular situation… I don't want to think about it that way… but it almost feels as if he's hiding something."

Shigure frowned, as that knot of apprehension in his stomach tightened even more. Even Tooru can sense the doubts that his suspicious nature has been trying hard not to entertain… 

"And there's also what happened with Akito-san…" Tooru added softly, her voice falling into a soft whisper as she turned to the older man, almost pleadingly, "Shigure-san… does Akito-san really have that kind of power?"

Shigure blinked at the young woman's odd question, "Power? What do you mean?"

Tooru lowered her eyes, the fingers of her free hand instinctively touching her left cheek. "Back at that time… in the summer house… Akito-san said that he was someone equivalent to God… he said… he said that he controlled the souls of all the Jyuunishi… Does Akito-san really…. have such power? Could Akito-san have done thi—"

"That's nonsense," Shigure interrupted with a deep frown. 

The young woman bowed her head and clasped her husband's hand tightly, "I couldn't say it to Hatori-san. But when Akito-san visited Yuki-kun… before this happened… Akito-san was saying something strange..."

The older man's eyes widened in alarm, "What do you mean?"

Tooru lifted her eyes to face him, "Akito-san said that God didn't want the mouse to be one of the twelve… and that the mouse tricked the cat to protect him. And the way he was talking to Yuki-kun… it was as if he was talking to someone else."

It felt as if his heart at stopped upon hearing her words. He felt numb as his mind struggled against his racing thoughts. This only confirmed his suspicions. Still, he couldn't help but wish that he had mistaken what Rin said as his own paranoia… Akito really did know. For some strange inexplicable reason… Akito knew. When?  How? How could Akito have known that secret he discovered and Hatori destroyed eleven years ago?

"Shigure-san?" Tooru's voice pulled him back to reality, "What did Akito-san mean by that?"

Her eyes were wide and pleading. Immediately, the words Hatori spoke in the library eleven years ago blared loudly in his mind. This version of the Jyuunishi legend seemed much more than just a coincidence… and who knows what the consequences were if this version got out and people started to believe it. But she deserved to know… If that particular legend and Akito has something to do with what was happening to Yuki now… she deserved to know.

Unfortunately… he didn't know what to tell her either…

"Tooru-kun, Akito has been ill for a very long time," Shigure finally explained kindly, "Sometimes, he says things that only makes sense to himself."

He saw the look of disappointment in her eyes, before she turned away. "That may be so… but I'm scared, Shigure-san…" The young woman's voice stated softy… her shoulders shaking, as she fought against the tightness in her throat, "Since Akito-san's visit… it almost seemed as if Yuki-kun is desperately struggling against... something… I think it's making him suffer… He's suffering and there's nothing I can do. I can't even hold him just to let know that I'm here…"

He watched her silently.  All this time, she was trying so hard to look strong and walking around with a big silly smile on her face. It was heartbreaking to see her like this. He started to reach out to put a comforting touch over the couple's hands.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry for interrupting," A familiar voice called out from the doorway, "But I need to see my patient."

Shigure turned around to face the newcomer, and his eyes widened in surprise when he realized who it was. 

"Kana-san…" Tooru stated aloud, bearing the same reaction that Shigure had, before the writer could utter the name himself.

This time, it was the female doctor turned to Tooru in surprise, "I'm sorry… Tooru-san, isn't it? I don't believe we've met yet…"

"Ah, Kana-cha… Kana-sensei was such an impressive student that Ha-san continues to talk about you with such high regard," The writer interrupted almost immediately

Kana gave the writer a hearty chuckle, a slight but noticeable flush lighting her cheeks, "Shigure-kun… there's no need for formalities. We've known each other for some time, and we are family after all. And you're giving much more praise than I deserve."****

"Kana-chan still hasn't changed one bit," Shigure grinned, " But why else would Ha-san leave Yuki-kun in your hands, if you weren't capable?"

 The doctor ducked her head in embarrassment, "Frankly… I was very surprised when Hatori called me. I was in a bit of a shock when I reviewed Yuki-san's medical records. I don't understand why Hatori insisted that I handle his case, when it was clear that a more experienced specialist would be more appropriate. Unless… " With that, her expression changed into a more serious look, "Shigure-san… Yuki-san is one of the _'Inner'_ Soumas, isn't he?"

Tooru's eyes widened in silent surprise as she watched the scene unfolding before her. The uncomfortable silence that followed made the soft beeping of the monitors in the room blare like sirens. Shigure's own quiet and controlled voice rumbled like deafening thunder, "Don't belittle your own abilities like that, SENSEI. It's very insulting to Ha-san's judgment."

The young doctor was shocked at at his words. Of the short time that she knew him, she never heard him speak that way. Or see that serious, unreadable expression on his face. Though he didn't answer her question, his reaction confirmed it. The Souma family held so many secrets… 

Her expression softened as she gazed at her patient's wife. At one point in her life, she was actually willing to be part of one of those secrets, to be in the same position as the young woman before her. But now, seeing the pain reflected in Tooru's eyes… she doesn't think she could have been that strong. It was probably her saving grace her pursuit for love back then was a one-sided race.

"Ye-yes…" With a small pacified but sardonic smile, she turned back to the writer and immediately bowed her head apologetically, "I'm sorry. I've forgotten my boundaries as an outsider." With that she made her way towards the sleeping young man, "Saa… if you don't mind, I'd like to assess my patient."

"If it's not bother," Tooru began, giving the other woman a pleading look, "I'd like to stay."

"It's not a bother," The doctor replied, smiling at the younger woman reassuringly, "But I assumed that Tooru-san would take this opportunity to take a break. To get some tea or coffee, perhaps."

The young woman shook her head vigorously as she clutched her husband's hand even tighter with both of hers, "No. I'm fine. I would rather stay here with Yuki-kun."

Kana automatically looked at Shigure, who at that point returned to his usual easy-going demeanor and simply made a small shrug, "It's hopeless. I already tried."

"I suppose it can't be helped," The doctor sighed in defeat, before looking up with a small glint in her eye, "But there's no need for Shigure-kun to stay. Perhaps you could get some tea or coffee for Tooru-san from the cafeteria."

Shigure raised an eyebrow at her non-verbal cue, but gave in to the doctor's request. He made a small dismissive wave as he turned around to leave the room once again, "Saa, saa! Just make sure you two don't fall into a round of girl talk while you're at it. Yuki-kun may be in a coma, but he's not deaf. We can't have him bored to death after hanging on for so long…"

"EH!?!?"

"MOU! Shigure-kun! What a mean thing to say!"

The writer let out a playful chuckle as he immediately ran out to the safety of the hallways. It wasn't until he was a short distance away, in the vicinity of the payphone booths, that he allowed the expression on his face to fall. 

To get Kana involved with them again… What was going on? Hatori would never involve her with the Jyuunishi… unless he had no choice. That ball of apprehension in the pit of his stomach tightened once more as he immediately went to the payphones and dialed the number to Hatori's office.

"Gure-san? Is that you?" The voice in the other line immediately called out after the phone was picked up before the first ring even finished

"A-ya? What are you doing there? I thought you were on your way here," Shigure replied in complete surprise

"How is Yuki doing?" Ayame asked frantically, completely ignoring what the writer said 

"Yuki?" Shigure answered, "He's been the same since the last time we spoke."

"Thank God! I was about to rush there just as Tori-san's phone rang," Ayame babbled in relief 

"A-ya, what are YOU doing in Ha-san's office?" Shigure stressed impatiently

"It's total chaos here right now, so I'll tell you everything when I get there," Ayame replied, "Just stay put with Yuki and Tooru-kun. I'll be right over."

"What? Total chaos? What is going on there?" Shigure frowned

"Eh? You didn't know?" Ayame paused, "Didn't Tori-san tell you? Ah… Tori-san probably didn't want Tooru-kun to worry."

The writer rubbed his throbbing forehead, "A-ya… Tooru-kun and I have been here with Yuki-kun all afternoon… and no, Ha-san didn't say anything. What the hell is going on there?"

"I just found out myself when I got here. Tori-san has been trying to keep it from happening as long as possible," The snake continued grimly, "But it would seem that it's inevitable."

"A-ya!" Shigure almost yelled at the phone, the knot in the pit of his stomach was starting to make him feel nauseated

"Kagura is in active labour," Ayame finally stated

"What? But that's impossible. Kagura is still two months prema---…" Shigure's eyes widened as his voice trailed  

_/…it almost seemed as if Yuki-kun is desperately struggling against... something…/ _

'CODE BLUE, FIFTH FLOOR, ROOM 532. CODE BLUE, FIFTH FLOOR, ROOM 532' 

"Gure-san? Gure-san, are you still there? Gure-san?" Ayame's voice called out anxiously from the abandoned receiver, swinging helplessly in the air

_/…Yuki-kun is desperately struggling against... something…/_

Tooru's earlier words pounded loudly in his mind as he fought his way through the quickly gathering chaos, keeping him away from his destination. 

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't let you in there," A staff said apologetically as he blocked the doorway.

From the crack of the doorway, he could see Kana and several staff working around his prone cousin, Tooru sobbing loudly and still holding on to her husband's hand as if her very life depended on in. He watched the scene run in front of him detached, as if in a deep trance.

'—BP - 180/99—'   '—heart rate – 160—' '—arrhyth—' 

**'**—**it's no use—' **

**'**—**et the defib---'**

_/…Yuki-kun is desperately struggling... /****_

**'**—**TOORU-SAN, PLEASE LET GO AND WAIT OUTSIDE!'**

**'IYAAAAAAAAA!!!'**

The sound of her scream immediately snapped him out of his reverie as he pushed against the male nurse blocking his way.

**"SIR! YOU CAN'T GO IN THERE!"** The staff held the writer by the shoulders, keeping him at bay

**"GET OUT OF MY WAY!" **Shigure suddenly growled dangerously, eyes flashing with a murderous glint, immediately causing the staff to freeze with a start. The writer took the opportunity to squeeze through and rush by Tooru's side.  Kana gave him a pleading look, and the dog nodded in agreement. He quickly held the young woman by the shoulders and gently tried to pull her to her feet.

Tooru cried out in protest , shaking her head, keeping herself literally bolted to her seat with almost inhuman strength

                The older man immediately reached out to unlatch the young woman's hands and froze, immediately understanding his cousin's wife's unusual clingy behavior. For the first time since his cousin fell ill…

                …Yuki's hand was as cold as ice.

                _/Shigure, for as long as possible_/ __

                "No…" Shigure whispered as he turned to stare at his cousin's pallid form in disbelief, "Yuki-kun, you've been fighting against impossible odds all this time, don't you DARE give up now!"

                **"Shigure-kun! Please!"  **

_/Even if it just saves one Souma child from suffering the same fate…/****_

                "I kept my end of the bargain, you better keep yours," The dog continued as he towered over his cousin, ignoring Kana's restraining tone, "Kagura needs you to keep fighting, Yuki. Don't let her down."

_/…Do it for as long as possible…/****_

"Yuki-kun… Yuki… please, don't give up yet. Give me more time. I promise to break it. But I need more time. Don't let this happen all over again…" Shigure whispered harshly as he bent down to whisper directly to Yuki's ear,  "…please… don't leave us all over again…"

/One after the other they arrived to the banquet that God prepared for them… /

"…Yukino…" 

_/One after the other, they fell…/___

The only things running in his mind were random words and a feeling of desperation. He couldn't allow Yuki to die. Something deep inside of him that he couldn't explain, won't allow it. He lost awareness of everything else. Of how long he stayed like that, bent over his cousin… of the other people in the room… of even what he said. He almost jumped out of his skin… literally… when he suddenly felt a warm hand resting on his shoulder. He looked up and saw Kana looking at him in almost reverent awe.

"Shigure-kun…" Kana whispered softly, "What did you do?"

"What?" Shigure blinked at her. It was only then that he realized that the other occupants of the room, even Tooru, were all looking at him strangely. Beads of sweat lined his forehead, "I didn't do anything…"

"Well… whatever it was… it worked," Kana finally said, her eyes wandering to the numbers on the bedside monitor. She turned to the staff nearest to the door, "Cancel the code." As soon as the room was cleared of the other hospital staff, she ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh before giving Shigure a curious look, "I don't understand what just happened, so I'll just consider it another one of the Inner Souma's mysterious secrets."

"Kana-chan… what exactly happened?" The writer asked in bewilderment

"My first instinct would be to say… we just witnessed Yuki-san having a form of a heart attack… as to what caused it… I don't know, yet," Kana replied almost mournfully, "Since I can't move Yuki-san to ICU, I'll have a constant stand by for the next 24 hours, just in case. If you'll excuse me, I'll come back as soon as I can." She gave Tooru a reassuring smile before bowing down politely and leaving.

"Shigure-san…" Tooru's voice said quietly as soon as the doctor left the room, "…thank you."

Shigure sighed, "…but I didn't do anything."

"Yukino," The young woman stated in a louder voice, her gaze turning inward

"Eh!?" The writer's eyes widened in surprise as he spun around to face her 

"That's her name, isn't it?" Tooru said as she turned to the older man, tears starting to fill her eyes once again, "The vengeful spirit of the nezumi-ishi. Yuki-kun is struggling against her, isn't he?"

He could only stare at her blankly as she looked back at her, expectantly waiting for his answer. He bit his cheek and reached out to rest a consoling hand on top of the young woman's head. Her lips quivered. The writer felt panic rising from within him, anticipating her tears. Instead, he found himself gaping in numb horror as the young woman's head lolled forward, with the rest of her body following, and spilling into an lifeless undignified heap on the floor.

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

                This chapter definitely DID NOT turn out the way I expected it to be. Just as a reference… please see "Jyuunishi Enkei no Monogatari" for details on some of those "word" flashbacks, if you haven't read that fic yet. This fic is actually somewhat a sequel to that fic. That's all… 

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!   
Ina-chan


	7. Chapter 07

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

June 29, 2003

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Seven

By Ina-chan 

The silence of the room made the faint beeping of the monitor and the rhythmic pumps of the respirator like a booming orchestra.  The man allowed vision to pan across the sterile environment until it finally rested on the figure literally buried under the tubes and wires of the complicated technology of the room. His arms automatically wrapped around himself, as he closed his eyes before letting out a deep sigh. 

"It feels like déjà vu, doesn't it?" A cheerful voice greeted him curiously.

The man sighed again, "Something like that."

"You're two weeks late, as usual…" Shigure teased with a knowing grin, "…two weeks should be just enough time, isn't it?"

The newcomer gave the older man a suspicious frown, "Enough time for what?"

Shigure nodded, with sympathetic sigh, "Sou, sou… it's a difficult situation to be in. But what else can a man do when a woman uses her wifely duties as hostage to impose her will on her husba…"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!!" The man glared at the writer, cheeks flaming 

"Now, now , Kyou…" Shigure tsked as he wagged a reprimanding finger at his younger cousin, "Remember where we are. Your voice could probably be heard all the way down the hallway, and Yuki-kun isn't the only person in this hospital.  Really, no consideration with others whatsoever."

The cat instantly grabbed the dog by the collar, his battle aura blazing dangerously, "Keep this up and you'll be glad that we are IN a hospital."

"Hai, hai, hai…" Shigure replied weakly as beads of sweat cascaded down the writer's forehead while waving a small white flag of surrender. Before suddenly turning into a more serious demeanor, "But seriously Kyou-kun. Why you here? It's been two weeks now. Yuki-kun isn't any better or worse," Shigure said as he glanced at the sleeping man beside him, "But both Ha-san and Kana-chan agreed that it would be alright for him to go home tomorrow."

"That's why I had to come and see him today," Kyou replied quietly, "I don't think I would be able to have the chance to do this if it were in the Main House."

The writer turned to the cat's direction in surprise. 

"Kagura didn't tell me to come, " Kyou replied stiffly as he looked away and stared at something that he seemed to have found more interesting at the corner of the wall.

"I see," Shigure's expression instantly softened at his younger cousin's words. He couldn't help but smile at the obvious tension on the younger man. He already has an idea why Kyou came. He knew how hard it were for the cat to do this, "How are they?"

 "They're fine. Kagura and I figured out a way for me to hold her without transforming. I was even able to give her a bath yesterday," Kyou replied, his tone and body language relaxing slightly, as if to linger on that brief happy memory, before turning to face the writer with a determined expression on his face, "I heard about what happened that day from that loud Ayame. So I wanted to come and thank you."

"Me?" Shigure blinked in confusion

"When Hatori said that we were having the baby two months early... when I saw her for the first time in tubes and wires, looking so weak and fragile… I felt so helpless… and angry that I couldn't do anything else but wait," Kyou closed his eyes and clenched his hands, "I was so… scared. I just wanted to hold her tight and not let go…"

The writer didn't know what to say to that. Though there were those rare times that the cat confided with him, And through the years, he has seen his younger cousin change under Tooru's influence. But still… all this time… Kyou has never opened up his feelings like this to him. Until now.

"Then… Hatori said that it was impossible for me to hold her that way… I thought I would feel more angry and disappointed… I was… but…" The younger man unclenched his hands and looked at his hands, "I felt more relieved to know that there is no way for me to hold my daughter. Then I heard what happened here from that annoying Ayame… that's why I came," The younger man lifted his eyes, "Thank you."

Shigure stared at his younger cousin, letting his speechless shocked expression linger a few moments, before managing to regain his composure, "Not that I'm demeaning your gratitude, but you're really thanking the wrong person," with that, he gave a knowing look directed to their sleeping cousin.

"That's why I was thanking you first, you idiot," Kyou grumbled, peeved at the older man pointing out the obvious

"So I was a practice run? That's so cruel, Kyou-kun!!!" Shigure fell on the floor in mock distress as he bit into the edge of a handkerchief he held in his hand. 

"You should be grateful that I'm even thanking you," Kyou towered darkly over the over-acting writer in exasperation

Shigure sighed as he pulled himself from the ground and dusted the invisible dirt from his yukata, "Well, those working behind the scenes are fated to live the life of the unappreciated."

"Ha?" It was Kyou's turn to blink in confusion 

"A-ya went with Tooru-kun for her ultrasound this morning. It's just two floors downstairs, so they should be on their way back soon," Shigure suddenly announced. Though the truth was, they should have been back almost two hours ago. He temporarily pushed his worries aside as he turned his attention to the younger man, "I think I'll go out and meet them. Do you mind staying with Yuki-kun until we come back?"

Kyou's eyes widened at the writer's words before replying with a grateful look, "Yeah…"

The writer gave him a small smile of encouragement, before leaving the room. He crossed his arms, falling deep into thought as his mind quickly poured over all the recent events that happened. Since the incident two weeks passed, Ayame had become even more over zealous about Tooru's and the baby's health. Though Tooru had been nothing but grateful for her brother-in-law's enthusiasm in acting as her husband's substitute in all aspects of support for the rest of her pregnancy, Shigure could tell that it was more to the fact that it was almost impossible to go against Ayame's pace.  Then again, the writer couldn't help but feel grateful to his best friend as well. At least Ayame was most successful in focusing Tooru-kun's attention towards something else rather than dwelling on Yuki. Her sudden collapse two weeks ago on top of Kagura's premature delivery and Yuki's near-death experience was more than enough shock in everyone's system.

Enough to rattle everyone to the point that for the first time in the longest time, all the Jyuunishi have gathered in the Main House outside of the New Year celebration. Everyone came simply to offer what they can to support Kagura and Tooru. Even Haru and Rin… The both of them still spend most of their time with Akito. But there has seen more frequent visits outside of Akito's compound from the both of them recently.

The writer's expression darkened as his mind started to wander back to an incident relating to his dark-haired relative, which happened earlier… 

/…you're going to be second last... you're going to be forced to watch before your turn. That's the real reason why you're so determined to keep him alive. That's why you're delaying the inevitable…/

The inevitable…

He ran his fingers through his hair. It was true that everyone began feeling edgy since Yuki collapsed and fell into a coma. He initially blamed his own restlessness on what happened to Yuki. But after hearing Rin's words that night, he knew his instincts was pointing to something else as the cause of his personal anxieties. 

It seemed as if ever since that night, everything that was happening seemed to be quickly accelerating towards… that something… inevitable. Everything happening now, simply added fuel to his apprehension… from Akito's strange actions… to Kagura and Tooru's pregnancies… and Tooru's words…

/"Yukino. That's her name, isn't it? The vengeful spirit of the nezumi-ishi./

How can she have come to that conclusion? It was just a short glimpse of Akito's strange behaviour… and then that incident two weeks before, it was impossible to come to that conclusion, wasn't it? So how?

/Yuki-kun is struggling against her, isn't he?/

How did she know?

And now… 

…for the first time outside of the New Year's celebration… 

…all the Jyuunishi were gathered in one place….

"Ara, Gure-san? What are you doing here?" Ayame's voice filtered into his thoughts

He looked up to face his best friend and his cousin's wife, who were both watching him with identical worried expressions on their faces, "Ya! Welcome back!"

"Shigure-san, is something wrong?" Tooru's voice quivered a little as she stepped closer nervously 

                Shigure shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile, as he jutted his thumb towards the closed door,  "No. A stray cat just happened to wander in for a visit. I thought I'd give them some privacy."

                The young woman closed her eyes and clasped her hands together as she sighed in relief.

                "Kyonkichi is here?" Ayame raised an eyebrow, an amused grin slowly touching his lips "Well, isn't that something. Why did he come?"

                Shigure grinned and waved his hand dismissively, "Being sappy and grateful about fatherhood or something like that."

                The silver haired man looked at his cousin in surprise, "Ara? You don't know exactly? You mean you actually held back from trying to listen from the door?"

                "It's Kyou-kun we're talking about here," Shigure replied, "You know from experience that it isn't interesting to eavesdrop on him at all unless he thinks he's alone with Kagura…"

                Ayame rubbed his chin as he nodded solemnly in agreement, "And most of the time, it's not really that interesting either since most of the time they don't do much talking…"

                "Anou…" Tooru uttered nervously 

                "A-ya, you shouldn't talk such embarrassing things about other people in front of Tooru-kun," Shigure berated his cousin gently

                Ayame's eyes widened as he turned to his sister-in-law and took her hands into his in apology, "I'm sorry, my dear Otoyume. I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. Rest assured that we always stopped graciously at the right moment whenever we eavesdropped on Yuki…"

                "EEEEH!?!?" Tooru exclaimed in total mortification, immediately falling into super-shocked mode

                "It's just a joke, Tooru-kun. A joke," Shigure laughed in amusement at the young woman's expression. He couldn't help but feel relieved at her reaction. At least, despite all the things that happened, there are things about her that still hasn't changed, "So how did your appointment go? It took you a while to get back, so I was getting a little worried."

                The young woman immediately brightened at his question, as she touched her swelling belly affectionately "It went very well."

                "Indeed! I could hardly contain my bliss seeing this for the first time!" Ayame added with great enthusiasm as he proudly flashed open a scrap book and literally shoved it in front of his best friend's nose, "Hora! Take a look Gure-san! Even at such a young age, our bundle of joy is already overflowing with magnificent irresistible beauty and charisma!"

                Shigure blinked blankly at the vague blobs of shadows in the black and white printout images dotting the page in front of him, "Ha…?"

                Tooru sweatdropped at the older man's expression, "Anou… That's the reason it took us a while to get back. Ayame-san kept on asking Naoki-san to make print outs from every angle and every time the baby moved… until the whole album was filled…"

                Shigure let out a nervous laugh, "Well, considering it's A-ya, it's not really extreme."

                "Of course not! These are the precious first memories of my beloved nephew! We must celebrate and record every single possible moment for all of us to enjoy in the future!" Ayame stated with firm conviction

                "Nephew?" The writer looked at the young woman before him in bewilderment

                A faint tinge lit the woman's cheeks as she nodded shyly, "I know I said that I wanted it to be a surprise until the baby was born, but I couldn't help myself. My curiosity got the best of me."

                "Congratulations," Shigure smiled warmly, "I'm sure Yuki-kun would be happy to hear the wonderful news."

"Even though Hatori-san already said that the baby is healthy and doing fine. But actually seeing him for the first time…" Tooru paused, as if searching for the right words, "…it's comforting." With that she made a bright smile, "I'm glad that Kyou-kun is here, that way Kyou-kun will hear the good news the same time as Yuki-kun. In a few months, Yukino-chan will have a new playmate."

Shigure couldn't help but make an involuntary flinch upon hearing the name of the newest Souma Family member. It was at Kagura's insistence and with Kyou's reluctant agreement that their daughter to be named after their cousin whom they believed saved their daughter from a horrible fate. Of course, there was no proof that their daughter would have been cursed had Yuki given up and died… but they were grateful anyway. Naming their daughter that way was merely a kind gesture. But… their kind gesture was too much of a coincidence…

The dog studied the young woman of him from the corner of his eye. Tooru never pursued asking him about 'Yukino' or the 'nezumi-shi'. In fact, she gave no indication that she even remembered what she said before she fainted two weeks ago. Even Hatori showed no reaction when Kagura announced her daughter's name.

Shigure smiled as he gave the young woman's head an affectionate pat, "Ah well, at least knowing the baby's a boy will cut down the choices on deciding on his name…"

"Kaji," The young woman suddenly out loud

"Eh?" Shigure gaped at the young woman, suddenly feeling unnerved

Tooru giggled, "Sorry, I didn't mean to blurt it out like that. The name just suddenly popped into my mind for some reason. Yuki-kun and I talked idly about names just after we got married. I actually wanted Kyoko for a girl and Katsuya for a boy… I wonder why I suddenly thought of that name."

"Well, Kaji does kind of fit, if you think about it," Ayame began thoughtfully in a serious tone, "Gura-chan's daughter is Yukino… so together they would be like 'fire' and 'snow'.  I'm sure they will become close like siblings since their fathers have long ended their grudges. And since their ages are so close together, you could think that they're almost like twins."

"Un," Tooru nodded cheerfully in agreement, "That would be very nice if came true." 

A chill ran down Shigure's spine upon hearing their light conversation. He quickly turned away and covered his mouth at the realization that he couldn't hide his horror behind a forced smile. He could only pray that both Ayame and Tooru would be too busy in their merrymaking to notice him, as he desperately tried to regain his composure.

"And…" Ayame continued on cue, as if to answer Shigure's silent prayers, "…if childhood friendship proves to blossom into something more in adulthood, my beloved nephew and Yukino-chan's blood relation is distant enough for it to be not a problem."

Tooru sweat-dropped at the suggestion, "Anou… Ayame-san… I don't think it's a good idea to suggest such a thing before the baby is even born."

"NONSENSE!!" Ayame declared with a shake of his fine silver hair, "Age is meaningless when it comes to true love. If my beloved nephew grows up to fall in love with our lovely Yukino-chan then I as a doting uncle will support it with all my strength!!"

Almost immediately, a strong gust of heat blew past them, causing slight singeing to loose threads and clothing and strands of hair in its path. All three occupants of the hallway slowly turned toward the source of the explosion and sweat-dropped at the sight of a lone figure standing by the open doorway, furious beyond description, and scarlet battle aura flaring dangerously that anyone within touching distance will definitely suffer from more than singed loose strands of hair.

"Are you planning something disgusting involving my daughter, you damned pervert?" The cat's voice sounded unnaturally calm, low, but frighteningly dangerous.

"A-a-nou… K-k-kyou… kun," Tooru stammered nervously, as she instantly stepped in between the two men, desperately trying to find the right words to pacify the angry cat in time in order to save her brother-in-law

"Yaaaaa~~~" Shigure rumbled, as he slowly inched backwards to a safe distance, "A-ya, you're in trouble now. You seemed to have awakened a monster named 'Otousama Batsu'. A 'Father's Wrath' is unbeatable."

"Ara? Gure-san? Are you abandoning me now in this great time of need?" Ayame called out dramatically, feigning heartbreak in his voice

"Don't you dare do that nonsense in front of Tooru. A baby already learns even though its still in the womb. I'll kill you if you corrupt this baby before it's even born… " Kyou interrupted in his low and dangerous voice before the dog could even muster a breath to answer the snake

"Yare, yare, Kagura made you read all those baby books too much, Kyonkichi!" Ayame scoffed with a flip of his hair, "And stop using that scary voice. You're making Tooru-kun nervous."

"Haa~~~" Tooru sighed weakly 

Shigure took this opportunity to turn around and make his escape. He didn't stop walking until he rounded a corner and leaned his shoulder against the wall as he buried his face in his hand. He didn't know how much longer he could keep this cheerful mask. His head felt as if it were spinning around aimlessly. His emotions were running high to the point that he felt as if he was being physically pulled apart at all directions. He was already starting to loose control in short spurts. He had to find the answers to his questions as soon as possible. 

He NEEDED to find those answers. 

For some reason, he couldn't help but feel that time was quickly running out. 

"Shigure-kun?" A worried voice called out in concern from behind him

The writer's eyes widened at the sound. He immediately straightened up and painfully forced another smile on his face before turning around, "Kana-chan, did you need to see Yuki-kun now?"

"No. It's not urgent," The doctor shook her head, "I passed by earlier and saw that he had a visitor. He stood in front of the door nervously for quite a while, so I figured that he'd probably need a lot of time with Yuki-san. Besides, Yuki-san isn't going home until tomorrow anyway." 

"Thank you for all your help," Shigure stated gratefully with a bow

"Oh, I should be the one to say so," Kana made a small laugh, "I don't know if I was much help at all. Yuki-san seemed to have recovered on his own."

It was somewhat true. Since that incident two weeks ago, all of Yuki's seizures ceased… further tests didn't show any worsening or improvement in his condition. It was as if that day didn't even happen at all.

"Don't belittle yourself again, Kana-chan," Shigure scolded in mock anger, before changing his tone in a more serious note, "You were a big help and comfort. Specially for Tooru-kun and A-ya. So thank you."

The doctor didn't have an answer to that, so she simply accepted the writer's praise in silence. Shigure made another polite bow before starting to make his way back to Yuki's hospital room.

"Shigure-kun," Kana called out quietly as he passed by her, "If you don't mind me asking… that man who came to visit Yuki-san…"

"Kyou-kun?" Shigure looked at the woman questioningly, "What about him?"

"Is he… Is Kyou-san by any chance…" Kana began hesitantly, "…is he by any chance related to Kazuma-san's grandfather? The orange hair. Kazuma-san's grandfather was an inner Souma, wasn't he?"

A small frown reached the dog's eyebrows before he could stop it, "Why do you ask?"

"My grandmother…" Kana replied, "She knew Kazuma-san's grandfather. I was just curious."

"I see," Shigure relaxed at her explanation, though carefully watched the other woman's expression before treading on his next question, "You seem to be overly curious about the Inner Soumas. Is there a reason behind it, if I may ask?"

"You can say that it was mostly motivated by an old school girl crush," A faint tinge quickly appeared on the young doctor's cheeks, but her voice changed into an almost nostalgic tone with her following words, "Though as to what started it… you can say it was my grandmother."

"Your grandmother? Was it because she knew Kazuma-dono's grandfather?" Shigure asked, his own curiousity getting the better of him

Kana nodded, "You can say that. When she was younger, she tried to find out all she could about the Inner Soumas. She told me that she even found some old manuscripts written by an Inner Souma from the Meiji Period."

"She found what?" Shigure squeaked hoarsely. He felt his heart stop and lodge itself in his throat upon hearing those words.

"Shigure-kun? Are you all right? Do you want some water?"

 He shook his head and desperately swallowed back the painful lump before attempting to speak, "Ahem… Wha… what was she looking for?"

"The truth," Kana replied, "She said that she wanted to prove that the rumors about the reason behind Kazuma-san's grandfather's imprisonment in the Main House weren't true."

"Rumors?" Shigure couldn't help frowning again, "Rumors about Kazuma-dono's imprisonment?"

Kana looked at him strangely, before realization dawned to her, "I see… I suppose the Inner Soumas haven't heard of it. Then again, that rumor is a hushed whisper now if not dead, in respect for Kazuma-san."

"What was it about?" Shigure asked again, starting to feel impatient.

"Mind you I never believed it myself. From my grandmother's sketches and her stories, I don't think Kazuma-san's grandfather was capable of committing murder either," Kana replied

"Murder!?" Shigure's eyes widened at the revelation, he grabbed the woman's arms in disbelief, "The members of the Outer House believed he was imprisoned because he committed murder!?!"

"Shigure-kun?" Kana gaped at the writer, surprised at his sudden outburst

"I'm sorry, sorry…" The dog mumbled apologetically, immediately letting the young doctor go. He turned around and rubbed the painful throbbing that started on he left temple, "I was just surprised to hear that… who… who was it?"

"My grandmother knew her too. She was his younger cousin. The reason why everyone felt strongly about it was because she was only ten-years-old… and blind," Kana answered, "But there was no proof that he did it." 

"How did it… happen?"

"It happened at one of the lakeside Summer Houses. The official death said that it was an accidental drowning, that she wandered to the lake and drowned. But there were claims that the Inner House covered up evidence showing that she was actually held underwater. Unfortunately, Kazuma-san's grandfather was the first one to find her. He carried her in his arms to get help, but it was too late."

  
                "What was her… name?" Shigure managed to utter before a sickening wave washed over his entire being. 

"Yumeko. Souma Yumeko." Kana stated, looking at him expectantly.

The dead silence settled in the hallway after she uttered that name. He knew that name. And that realization only made his nausea feel worse.  Her eager stare was making him feel claustrophobic, on top of that. But before the writer could utter a reply, a frantic beeping noise pieced into the air.

"Sorry," Kana apologized with a sheepish look as she instantly pulled out a beeper from her pocket, "I need to go. I'll pass by and see Yuki-san later." With that she gave him a polite bow before going on her way. She stopped mid-way, as if on after thought, "My grandmother didn't tell me… but I have a feeling that Yumeko-chan was also an inner Souma. Perhaps we can continue this conversation another time?"

"Perhaps," Shigure could only muster a weak but genuine smile of relief, as he watched her disappear down another corridor with a small wave. Only then did he allow that his expression to fall, as he pondered over the new information that he had acquired. A pained sardonic grimace crept on the writer's lips as the full impact of what this meant finally hit him.  

Souma Yumeko… Of course she was an Inner Souma.  Yuki inherited his curse from her, after all.

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

Haaa… finally, the story is starting to actually build up. The humor was kind out of place, I know. But after all the tragic stuff happening one after the other, I figured that everyone needed a break before I introduce the heavier things in store. Heck! I introduced a whole lot of new things in this chapter. I hope it isn't too loaded. But I figured that this is about the perfect time that Shigure stopped acting like Yuki's protective guard dog and actually start moving on his own to sniff out clues on trying to break the curse. 

And based on the promise he made to the nezumi-ishi in the earlier chapter, it was obvious that Shigure is moving on borrowed time! Ganbatte Shigure-kun! Now if only Shigure is more this way in the manga canon rather than indulging in his dark fantasies… ah, but he won't be as interesting though! sigh You can't have it all! ^_^.

Another thing, as you can tell… I'm not using the "next Jyuunishi will be born after the last one died" theory. I'm following Takaya-sensei's explanation in that interview that the curse falls randomly. And that this group is special since it was very rare for the 12-ishi members to be so close to each other's ages. So I figured, that there must have been times when the circle was incomplete. So that makes the 12-ishi even more special when they appear in one generation.

Anywayz… For those joining us with this fic just this chapter. I'm sure you're very confused with the references. I strongly advise to read a fic that is somewhat an indirect "prequel" to this fic. You really need to read "Jyuunishi Enkei no Monogatari (Tale of the Jyuunishi Circle)" to understand the references. Both that fic and earlier chapters of this fic are available in Fanfiction.net and Mediaminer.org. Just search for Ina-chan in the author's search and you'll be sure to find it! ^_^.

Special thanks to Merrow-chan! Who very kindly beta-read this chapter for me! GLOMPS MERROW-CHAN As usual, Merrow-chan is my shining muse who came to rescue me in a dark and dire creativeness need. ^_^.

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!   
Ina-chan


	8. Chapter 08

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries. 

August 7, 2003

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Eight

By Ina-chan 

                He could feel his heart hammering frantically inside his chest. Ever since he saw the look on his niece's face, this inexplicable sense of urgency… panic… refused to leave him. He already had a premonition that something like this would happen before he left for his trip. His premonitions were rarely wrong… but for the first time in his life, he allowed the younger man's reassurance to dissuade him. 

                "Hurry!" The girl in front of him urged him to run even faster, her flushed face almost matching the color of her worried crimson eyes

                Ignoring the painful burning in his lungs and his legs, he pushed himself to run faster as the sight of their destination at the end of the long hallway came to view. He slammed the sliding door open with such force that the wood and paper frame ripped from it's hinges. The sole occupant of the room stood in front of the open window, silhouetted by the orange rays seeping from the setting evening sun. 

                "YU---!!!" He started to call out, but stopped in shock as the vision in the room registered in his mind. 

                The figure slowly turned to face him. The boy's porcelain face looked even more deathly pale under the rays of dawn. The light gave the boy's gray hair an almost eerie silver glow. It was almost like the vision of the apparition of the Angel Gabriel from that western painting his nephew was talking about just a few days before. That is… if one was to ignore the puddles of dark liquid smeared and pooling around the boy's feet. 

                "Kyoko-chan," He rasped to the girl beside him, "See what's keeping Tokuro-sensei…"

                His companion didn't move of make any indication of even acknowledging his command. He faced the fire-haired girl and saw the expression of horror as he stared at his niece. A look that most likely was reflected in the older man's face…

                "KYOKO, GO NOW!" The older man's voice boomed. The girl jumped, like a startled cat, as she snapped out of her trance. Almost immediately, she bolted out of the room to fetch their family doctor. He quickly turned back to his nephew, trying to hold back the tears that were quickly blurring his eyes. "Yuuta…" 

                "I'm really such a failure, aren't I, Iwaku-oji?" Yuuta replied in a hushed monotone

                "Oh god…Yuuta… why?" The older man tried again, fighting against the painful constriction building in his throat

                "I can't even commit seppuku properly," The boy continued as he reached into the folds of his soaked yukata to wrap his stained fingers around the sharp object still imbedded in his flesh. Before the older man could move a muscle, the boy winced and quickly pulled out the tantou from his abdomen and held out the bloody blade to the older man, "Finish it for me? It hurts like hell…"

                With those words, the boy started to crumple to the floor, his strength draining with the lifeblood gushing out from his body. The older man dashed towards the falling figure, catching the boy in his arms as the short blade clattered noisily on the floor.   

"Yuuta…what have you done…" The man sobbed mournfully as he cradled his nephew tightly in his arms

"I didn't… I didn't do it… Iwaku…oji…" Yuuta whispered almost desperately as he clung to his uncle's sleeves, "Akiko…san… she's… lying…"

"Shhh… It's alright, I believe you," The older man whispered back, "Just conserve your strength and try not to talk anymore."

"SENSEI! THE DOCTOR'S HERE!" The girl announced her return, as she leaned by the door to catch her breath. The doctor rushed in and knelt by the uncle and nephew's side. The two older men exchanged silent looks, before the doctor lowered his eyes and shook his head mournfully.

"What!? No! You can't give up just like that…" The girl glared at the older men indignantly, "Iwa-ojichan!" 

Souma Iwaku could only bow his head in silent defeat.

"NO! NO! YUUTA! DON'T YOU DARE!!!" The girl cried out, as she pushed her way towards her cousin. She clutched the boy's sleeve and shut her eyes to unsuccessfully prevent the dam of indignant tears from gushing through, " C'MON YOU DAMNED RAT! DON'T YOU DARE DIE ON ME! YOU COWARD!!! I STILL HAVE TO BEAT YOU!!! AND MY PORTRAIT!!! YOU HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED IT YET… YOU…you… you promised to finish it after you come back… you promised… "

The boy slowly turned his eyes at his hot-tempered cousin, his eyes widening as if seeing her for the first time, "…o…ni…chan…"   

The man holding the dying boy made an involuntary intake of breath at the boy's words.

"Wha--?" Kyoko frowned, despite of herself, "This is not the time to tease me, you jerk!" The girl whispered angrily as she reached out to carefully brush the stray strands of hair that fell over her cousin's slowly dimming eyes

"… sorry… oni..chan…" The boy whispered almost inaudibly, as he weakly reached out to touch her cheek, "I… failed… you… again… I'm… sorry… o..nii…chan… sor…"

******

                The writer's eyes shot open as he sat up with a bolt. He scanned his surroundings in confusion, as the dark shadows in the library towered around him. He quickly fumbled over his desk to flick open the desk lamp and basked into the comforting light. He closed his eyes and leaned back, wiping the cold sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand as he tried to calm down his erratic breathing.

                "It was just a dream," Shigure said out loud, trying to reassure himself 

                "Shigure-san?" 

                The writer spun around in his seat to face the owner of the worried voice, only to meet the worried eyes of it's concerned owner standing hesitantly by the library's doorway, awkwardly carrying a tray of steaming cups of tea. The older man immediately summoned a smile to line to tired lips.

                "Ah, Tooru-kun! What brings you here at this time? You shouldn't be staying up so late," Shigure remarked disapprovingly

                "Ayame-san and Hatori-san kicked me out of Yuki-kun's room to get some rest," Tooru explained sheepishly, "But I couldn't sleep because the baby…"

                An alarmed expression immediately lit the older man's face as his eyes instantly focused on the young woman's swelling belly.

                "AH! No, it's nothing like that!" The woman automatically blurted, seeing the look on her cousin-in-law's face, "It's just that the baby decided that he didn't want to sleep yet either. He's been kicking non-stop for the past thirty minutes that I thought I'll take a short walk…"

                "I see," Shigure sighed with relief, before giving the woman a mischievous grin, "Seems like he's already taking after his father…"

"Well he definitely already knows how to kick, I can tell you that," Tooru replied with a laugh before making a small motion with the tray in her hands, "Ayame-san also said earlier that you were still here, so I thought you'd like to join me for some tea." 

                The writer quickly cleared a space on his table as much as he could before he patted the chair beside him, "If a beautiful woman asks me to have tea with her, what kind of man would I be to refuse?"

                The young woman couldn't help but make a small laugh as she made her way to the table and set down her tray, "Shigure-san, only you have the ability to act silly at a time like this. Hatori-san is still very upset with you."

                "Ha-san, needs to lighten up," Shigure replied blandly before taking a sip from his yunomi, "For someone who insists that he has already closed that chapter of his life a long time ago, he is doing a good job acting like a jealous boyfriend."

                "Anou… I don't doubt that the reason behind your meetings with Kana-san had anything… suspicious… about… them…" Tooru commented, cautiously gauging her cousin-in-law's reaction 

                "But…" The writer prodded with a raised eyebrow

                 A worried frown crossed over the young woman's delicate features, "But… I've never seen Shigure-san fight… and hold a grudge… against anyone… specially with Hatori-san."

                Shigure simply replied with silence, as he watched the steam rise from his yunomi through lowered eyelids. It had been roughly over a month since Yuki's discharge. But within that time period, the writer had arranged to meet with his younger cousin's attending physician during the latter's hospitalization. Needless to say, the Souma Family doctor was not pleased… he became even much more unhappier when he found out the reason behind those meetings.

                Needless to say, the writer's last conversation with the Souma Family doctor, four days past, was…  not pleasant at all. Words that shouldn't have been said were said… and were conveyed in a manner that shouldn't have been conveyed.  Had Ayame not been present, their verbal brawl might have even turned into a physical one. And to make a long story short, neither man had spoken a single word to each other since…

                "Shigure-san, I don't want to pry… but if there's anything I could do…"

                The writer gave the younger woman a reassuring smile and sadly shook his head, "It's not something that you should worry over, Tooru-kun."

                "But…"

                "TOORU-KUN," Shigure said firmly, emphasizing his tone with a serious frown and a silencing finger on her lips

                The woman finally gave up with a sigh of defeat as she slumped back on her seat.

                "It'll be alright, Tooru-kun," The writer stated with a reassuring smile, "Ha-san and I had our share of differences in the past. Just because we had an argument more heated than usual, doesn't mean that there's no way to resolve it as we had before… This one will just need a little bit more time to cool down stubborn old heads from both sides."

                Tooru nodded, still looking unconvinced, "What was it that you needed to confide with Kana-san that upset Hatori-san so much? If you don't mind me asking, that is?"

                Shigure studied the young woman before him, as if silently weighing to tell her or not. But based on the young woman's expression, though what she stated was in the form of a request… it was nothing but. The dog let out another sigh as he came to a decision. Might as well give her something, rather than worry needlessly over a situation she doesn't even know, "I was just doing some research on a new book I'm working on. An ancestor of ours from the Meiji Era did some work on the area, and Kana-chan's grandmother managed to collect some useful relics about that person… as well other related events that followed afterward."

                The woman nodded again, chewing on her lip thoughtfully, "But, if that was just the case, why did Hatori get so upset about it?"

                A sarcastic smirk crept on the writer's lips at the young woman's innocent remark, "Ha-san believes that there are places in the shadows that should never see the light of day."

                "Eh?"

                "Well, he does have a point," Shigure instantly added in a much lighter tone, as his face beamed with a bright smile, "I've been studying these birth and death records all day that I even started having nightmares about our dead ancestors."

                "EH!?"

                Seeing the young woman's befuddled expression, the writer couldn't help himself,  "Aaah, it was so scary. That nightmare felt so real… It almost felt as if their ghosts were… RIGHT BESIDE YOU!!!"

                "KYAAAAA!!!"

                Shigure exploded into a round of hearty laughter, tears streaming down his eyes and doubling over to clutch his aching sides, "Ha-ha…Sorry… sorry… Tooru-kun… It's a joke! A joke! Ha-ha-ha!"  

                "Mou! Shigure-san… that wasn't very nice," Tooru sniffled in mock indignation, still shivering in super-shocked mode

                "Sorry," The older man apologized again, calming down, "Seeing that look on Tooru-kun's face, I couldn't help it."

                Despite of herself, the young woman smiled at her cousin's antics, "Well, dreams that feel real don't necessarily have to be scary. I started having this dream again…"

                "Again?" The writer raised an eyebrow curiously

                Tooru nodded, "When I was little, I used to have this re-occuring dream. I dreamt that I was playing in the middle of a peach orchard, with the peach blossoms in full bloom.  The breeze was nice and cool and it caused the petals to shower down like peach snow! It was very pretty. My mom told me once that sometimes, dreams are glimpses of memories from a past life. I used to believe that."

                "What changed your mind?"

                "Recently, I started having the same dream again. Only this time it was a bit different," The young woman smiled as she gently placed a hand over her abdomen, "I was in the same orchard only I was watching two beautiful children playing, a boy and his little sister. They both turned to me with the brightest smiles in the world and said ' 'Kaa-chaan, look at me! 'Kaa-chan, come and play too! '. And I knew all at once that it can only be a premonitory dream of the future."

                "I see…" Shigure rubbed his chin thoughtfully before giving the younger woman a small impish grin, "Of course, for that to come true, that can only mean that Yuki-kun is going to wake-up soon, doesn't it?"

                "Yes," Tooru replied with delight, only to freeze upon realizing the look on the older man's face, her own face turning into three shades of red. She covered her cheeks in total mortification, "AH! Shigure-san! It's nothing like that at all!"

                The writer fell into another round of laughter upon seeing her expression. It never ceased to amaze him how the young woman in front of him maintained her child-like nature despite all the things that has happened to her. All at once, he understood exactly why Hatori wanted the dark secrets hidden in their family's past to remain dead and buried. The Souma Family's past, was just as dark and cursed as their present. There was just so much a person can take.  Exposing it's full ugliness would most likely snuff out any light brought to extinguish its shadows.

                But still…

                Even if she won't be able to understand it in its entirety… even if there was nothing to be gained by letting her know small bits and pieces… there was always something delightfully irresistible about sharing a secret about a new found treasure…

                "Ne, Tooru-kun, do you want to see something amazing?" Shigure asked in his usual playful tone

                The young woman blinked, "What is it?"

                Shigure dug a large brown envelope from underneath his clutter, "This is one of the treasures I found in Kana-chan's family's storage rooms. Kana-chan's grandmother was a Jyuunishi otaku, and she actually managed to salvage a sketchbook from the Meiji that can possibly have pictures of the Jyuunishi members at that time."

                Tooru's eye's widened into bright brown orbs as she took the envelope in excitement, "WAAAAAA! That IS amazing!"

                "Well, they're not the originals. When Kana-chan and I found this one, it was very badly damaged. Aside from the age, this is one of the few family treasures that survived a fire in a section of the Main House after an air raid during the war. It was a miracle that it didn't fall apart when we found it. I got a friend of mine to make photographs and do digital enhancements of the pages. It's not as great as the original, but at least you can see what it may have looked like a hundred years ago."

                Tooru gasped as she leafed through the plastic pages holding the precious historical copies, "Shigure-san, this is amazing! The landscape sketches look more like photographs than sketches… and the portraits! They're so life-like… Do you know who they are?" 

                "That's what these birth and death records are for. I've managed to identify a couple of people from the sketches that had little notes in them. I think two or three of the portraits are possible Jyuunishi. Ah, that last sketch over there is one of them… Souma Kyoko, I believe…"

                "It looks unfinished," Tooru commented as she flipped back on the page the older man was referring to. Her forehead crumpled into a thoughtful frown as she studied the delicate face of the glaring defiantly at her, before bursting out laughing, "This girl is definitely the cat zodiac! She looks close enough to be Kyou-kun's sister! I can easily imagine that wild braid to be a shock of orange hair!"

                Shigure couldn't help but let out an amused laugh at that, "It would seem that in any generation, the Cat is the one that stands out the most, doesn't it?"

"Well, we have to give credit to the person who drew this as well. Whoever it was, had an amazing talent! Did you manage to figure out who it was?" 

Shigure thumbed through one of the open journals scattered beside him, before placing it before Tooru and pointing to the name in the log book, "A young man, by the name of Souma Yuuta… I think."

The young woman let out a loud gasp as she saw the record, "He was only sixteen years old when he died! Who was he?"

 "If my guess is right, Yuuta-kun is the nephew of the family historian, Souma Iwaku. His mother died shortly after he was born, I don't know what happened to his father… but for reasons I still haven't figured out, he was apparently living under his uncle's care. I think he sketched a self-portrait in there somewhere…"

"Really? Which one is it?"

"I think… this one" Shigure reached over he flipped the portfolio binder's pages to the right place. 

A serious-looking young man with a western hairstyle peered from the pages with sad unsmiling eyes.  The young woman made an involuntary intake of breath upon seeing it. She traced the contours of sketch's lines before speaking, "Yuuta-kun… he was also a Jyuunishi, wasn't he?"

The writer watched the young woman with great interest upon hearing that, "What makes you say that, Tooru-kun?"

"I don't know… it's just a feeling. He has the same air around him like Hatori-san… but… his eyes…" Tooru frowned and shook her head, before raising her head to meet the writer's gaze, "His eyes… looked exactly like his, when I first 'met' him…"

"When you first met who?" Shigure echoed, feeling a bit bewildered

"Yuki-kun."

The writer suddenly found that he didn't have an answer to that. 

"Shigure-san… what happened to him?"

"Well… Story has it, Yuuta-kun was also quite bright… even though he was only sixteen, he was accepted in a university in Germany to study medicine and was to apprentice under a close family friend. But two days before he was due to leave, he committed seppuku."

"EH?" Tooru echoed, eyes widening even more, if that was even possible, "What could he have done to dishonor the family for him to take his life like that?"

"Mind you, I don't know the whole story, but prior to his acceptance to the medical school, he was a private tutor to the Family Head's children. The Master's daughter accused him of forcing himself on her."

The young woman stared at the writer in disbelief, "Did he really do it?"

_/"I didn't… I didn't do it… Iwaku…oji… Akiko-san… she's lying…"/_

Shigure blinked as the soft whisper from his dream lisped loudly against his ear.  He placed on hand over his right temple and shook his head, as if to clear it.

"Shigure-san?" Tooru called out in concern, noting the writer's odd reaction to her question

"Sorry, Tooru-kun…" The writer replied, sheepishly, "I think all this non-stop research is finally getting to me. It'll probably be good for the both of us to call it a night and head off to get some sleep."

"Ah, of course," Tooru replied as closed the portfolio and scrambled to put the books around her

"Just leave them where they are," Shigure instructed, "They'll be in the same state tomorrow anyway."

"I suppose…" The young woman laughed as she idly looked down on the log book she held in her hands. She scanned the page quickly before turning back to the writer with a curious look, "Shigure-san, the year that Yuuta-san died… was there some kind of horrible illness that affected the Souma Family?"

"Eh?" It was Shigure's turn to look confused at his younger companion's comment, "What made you say that?"

"Well, it just seems strange…" Tooru replied as she looked back on the page, "After Yuuta-san died… it would seem that eleven more Souma Family members died after him, within the span of a year...."

Shigure stared at the young woman in front of him blankly as soon as her words registered in his head. Suddenly, it felt as if the world was suddenly devoid of sound. His eyes focused in bewilderment at Tooru, seeing her lips continue to move silently. He stood up to call to her, but the room started to tilt dangerously.  Despite his efforts to anchor himself on the table, the room continued to dance and sway around him. 

For the first time since this whole ordeal happened, an inexplicable bolt of fear shot right through his entire being. He could feel his heart hammering frantically inside his chest. This inexplicable sense of urgency… panic… refused to leave him. 

The last thing he saw was the horrified look on Tooru's face as the lights in the room started to dim and fade into darkness…

To be continued…

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

                The recent events in the FURUBA manga kinda creeped me out when I realized that what was happening with Rin in the original story, was what I originally planned to do to Shigure in this fanfic as he delved deeper into the mystery of uncovering the Souma Family's dark past. I don't want to be accused of plagerism, so I'm modifying the story a bit… ^_^.

                Mind you, I also found it very interesting that I personally think Shigure is the most detestable (yet fascinating) character in FURUBA canon… but for some strange reason, the character I dislike the most seem to be smelling like a rose in this… seemingly monster-epic-of-a-damn-fic this fic is turning out to be!

                Well… some cultural notes… if you haven't figured it out by now, "seppuku" is also what is commonly known to be as "hara kiri" or  "honorable suicide". And yes, I'm very sorry to introduce another side-storyline in the fic before fully explaining the Kazuma's grandfather storyline… but there is a reason for this. I'm just hoping that you guys will stay interested enough to stick around to figure out what it is. ^_^.

Anywayz,,, thanks for continuing to read! ^_^.

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!   
Ina-chan


	9. Chapter 09

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.   
  
October 27, 2003  
  
Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Nine  
  
By Ina-chan   
  
"There's no use sulking," The silver-haired man leafed through the magazine he has spread on his lap, head cocked to his side as he half-listened to the automated voice from his cell phone, "You know Tori-san's orders. Total bed rest for a week."  
  
The writer continued to frown childishly. Of all the people to become his prison warden, his best friend and cousin was the last person he wanted. Not only was Ayame completely loyal to Hatori's commands, but he can be annoyingly and assertively stern if he really wanted to.   
  
"Ne, A-ya..." Shigure began, "Shouldn't you be looking after Yuki instead? I mean, we almost had to drag you away, kicking and screaming whenever we try to separate you from Yuki's side in the past. What's the big change of heart this time?"  
  
The snake gave him a sidelong glance as he continued to check his voicemail in the phone, "And have Tooru-kun worrying over you, on top of looking after my brother and being pregnant?"  
  
The writer couldn't help making a wolfish grin, "Well then, why don't you go over and take care of Yuki-kun and send Tooru-kun over here to me."  
  
"So you can manipulate her into letting you skip your doctor's orders," Ayame countered without missing a beat, "I don't think so Gure-san."  
  
"MOU! You're no fun at all! Of all the people to betray me, I didn't expect it to be you," Shigure whined childishly  
  
"Ah, but it's all because of my love for you that I'm doing this Gure-san," The snake grinned as he hung up his cell phone and put the device inside his pocket, "Besides, you wouldn't want to be in Tooru-kun's company at the moment."  
  
"Eh?" Shigure raised an eyebrow, before comprehension started to dawn in his face, "Is she going into 'that stage' already? The one that had Kyou ready to commit seppuku?"  
  
"No." Ayame shook his head solemnly, "Gura-chan has taken it upon herself to keep Tooru-kun and Yuki company as much as she can. As much as I am quite eager to stand in for my brother in terms of supporting his wife, there is just so much my manly sensibilities can take with constant discussions about... womanly situations in their conditions."   
  
"I see," The writer chuckled with amusement, "I suppose Yukino-chan and constant diaper changes didn't help on making your decision to escape here either."  
  
The snake gave the dog a wounded look, but not before making an involuntary flinch before regaining his composure, "Come now, Gure-san. I know that you see me, sitting here beside almost constantly throughout the day since yesterday as some form of punishment. It's really unfair assume a beautiful and innocent babe at fault."  
  
"Even if the beautiful and innocent babe obviously inherited both her parents' lungs?" Shigure continued innocently  
  
"Even though the beautiful and innocent babe obviously inherited both her parents' lungs," Ayame agreed before falling into a more serious tone, "But all kidding aside, Gure-san. You really gave us quite a scare yesterday. Tooru-kun was inconsolable with worry..."  
  
A wave of guilt immediately assailed the writer at his cousin's words. He lowered his eyes and stared at the IV line impaled through the pale flesh of his arm, "How is Tooru-kun doing?"  
  
"Gura-chan, Yukino-chan and Kyonkichi has been keeping her company and well-distracted," The snake replied, "I'm sorry."  
  
"Ha?" Shigure looked up in surprise and stared at the silver-haired man, "What for?"   
  
"That I didn't notice this earlier," Ayame continued, "Tori-san said that you probably collapsed from lack of sleep, lack of food, and lack of fluids."  
  
The dog lowered his eyes once more and didn't reply.  
  
"I suppose I also took it for granted because we used to do the same thing when we crammed for finals back when we were still in school," The snake murmured contemplatively, "But then again, back then, the three of us looked after each other..."  
  
Ayame's voice trailed until the room fell into a deep pensive silence. Shigure couldn't help feeling even more guilty after hearing his cousin say that. Since Hatori showed his displeasure with the writer pursuing Souma Iwaku's trail many years ago, Shigure didn't even bother bringing his other best friend into the loop of his discovery.   
  
Of course, at that time, Ayame was in no position to help him with such trivial distractions. It was no secret that at that time, the snake was going through a personal crisis with his immediate family. In fact, roughly a few months after that particular New Year, it was the first time of the number of times Ayame... "moved out"... of the Main House, which later on eventually became a permanent situation.   
  
Ironically, the circumstances now were not that different from then. The snake has been unusually silent about witnessing the prior incident between the dog and the dragon. But behind the nonchalant mask that his cousin always wears, Shigure knew that being forced to watch and do nothing regarding the obvious conflict between himself and the doctor was causing his cousin a lot undeserved pain... that on top of worrying over his younger brother and sister-in-law.  
  
"Why are you doing this?" The snake suddenly asked out of the blue, causing the dog to raise an eyebrow   
  
"It's just work, A-ya," Shigure replied with a strained grin, "You know how stubborn I can get when I get serious enough over something."  
  
"I know," Ayame agreed, but still looking unconvinced, "But why are you doing THIS? This story you're working on... why is it so important to the point of fighting over it with Tori-san? I don't understand..."  
  
The writer suddenly found himself speechless, not knowing what to say to that. But his cousin's eyes were looking at him pleadingly, and Shigure saw all at once how this whole situation was hurting him. So he gave him the most honest answer he had, "I... don't know..."   
  
That was pretty much the truth anyway. He didn't know. He couldn't explain it. There was something inside of him spurring him on. A great sense of urgency that only intensified after Kagura's daughter's birth and that incident during Yuki's hospitalization.  
  
"What's happening, Gure-san?" Ayame's voice asked hesitantly, "There's... something... going on... Tori-san told me not to pry... but... it's... very" The snake's voice trailed again as he struggled with his words, "...frustrating."  
  
"There's nothing going on," Shigure replied reassuringly, "I'm just researching for a new story I'm working on and I got too carried away..."  
  
"DAMN IT!"   
  
His cousin's outburst came unexpectedly that the writer almost jumped. He looked up to get startled as he found a pair of golden eyes, glaring at him with a very dangerous expression. Ayame paused as he ran his fingers through his bangs with a loud frustrated sigh before wrapping his arms tightly around himself as if seeking comfort.   
  
"Stop it Gure-san," Ayame's voice was unnaturally calm, but the writer could sense the controlled fury behind his quiet tone, "I'm sick and tired of watching every single person I ever cared about drop around me like flies. I know that whatever it is that you're hiding with Tori-san... it has something to do with everyone getting sick. You... Yuki... Akito... Please stop doing this to me. Stop leaving me out in the dark... I'm not fragile."  
  
Shigure gave his cousin a defeated look, before tiredly closing his eyes and sinking into his pillows. Once again, he felt himself starting to drown in the guilt-laden wave of silence fell in the room. Shigure, of all people knew it. Beneath the layers of Ayame's random acts of idiocy, was a sharp, incisive, mind. And after further experiences in adult life chipped away more of the insolent pride that blinded the snake in his youth, it was a matter of time before Ayame figured everything out on his own. With how things were going... it would be a matter of time, before everyone in the Jyuunishi circle found out. The truth after all, will eventually float to the surface of a lake, no matter how much one tries to weigh down and hide that figurative corpse.  
  
But... as much as he wanted to share... this... with Ayame... just how much with his cousin understand? Just how much will he want to understand?   
  
"Gure-san?" Ayame's voice called out to him expectantly, determined not to let this go  
  
Shigure sighed in defeat.  
  
"I started dreaming again," The dog replied, keeping his eyes closed, "Only this time... the dreams feel too real to be simply dreams..."  
  
The snake didn't reply. Shigure made another sigh. Not to demean his cousin and as much as he hated to admit it, it was really Hatori that he felt the most comfortable confiding with these sort of things. Though he couldn't depend on Hatori to agree with him all the time... in fact the only thing he can depend on was Hatori's antagonism to many of his thoughts or ideas. But somehow, Hatori's counters focused him. Grounded him. Seeing the opposing end showed what route he needed to take with clarity.  
  
"What was it about?" Ayame's soft voice rang loudly in his ears. The writer's eyes shot open to look at his cousin in silent surprise. The snake man simply stared back at the dog with an expression of utter seriousness, that for one second, it almost felt as if it was Yuki's intense look gazing back at him... back when they were working with the legal details together to ensure Tooru's safety before his cousin got married.  
  
"What was your dream about?" Ayame prodded again, when Shigure was unable to answer right away.  
  
The writer turned his gaze and stared at a random spot ceiling, "I've been having so many lately, I don't know where to start."  
  
"Start with the first one that comes to your mind then," The snake encouraged gently  
  
Shigure closed his eyes and almost immediately an image came clearly within his mind's eye, "There was a funeral... for a little girl who drowned."  
  
Ayame didn say anything, but Shigure could sense his cousin's apprehension.  
  
"Ne, A-ya... you hear what the Outer House members say about what's happening in the Inner House, right?" The dog opened his eyes and suddenly turned to his cousin enthusiastically  
  
"A bit," Ayame answered pensively, "The Outer House members are careful of what to gossip in front of me."  
  
"Have you heard what they said about why Kazuma-dono's grandfather was imprisoned?" Shigure asked  
  
A line furrowed on the snake's brow, "Not particularly..."  
  
"Kana-chan said that there was a rumour going around from back then, that they thought he was imprisoned because he killed someone."   
  
The other man's eyes widened in horror, "Who?"  
  
"Souma Yumeko."  
  
This time, it was the snake, who stared at the dog, speechlessly. The significance of that name weighed heavily on Ayame's as if the snake was physically struggling over a sudden heavy load on his back. Shigure shifted to face his cousin and waited patiently for Ayame to regain his composure.  
  
"But... it was an accident, right?" Ayame stammered uncertainly, "She wandered to the lake, fell in, and drowned... right?"  
  
Shigure rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Kana-chan's grandmother, Noriko-san, was one of the people who looked after Yumeko-san. She knew about the curse and researched extensively about it. Though all her accounts in the journals that survived are worded in a way that only those who knew about the curse will completely understand what she was referring to."  
  
"Is that why you were meeting with Kana-chan?"  
  
"For the most part," The writer nodded, with a wry grin, "Though partly, I was somewhat curious to see how she was doing."  
  
"Yare, yare..." Ayame shook his head with a sigh, "You really don't think do you, Gure-san. No wonder Tori-san was so upset."  
  
"You're the one to talk," Shigure countered with a light-hearted tone, before his voice lowered into a more serious pitch, "But that's not what Ha-san was entirely angry about. He didn't want me poking around the dark for skeletons hidden in our family closet."  
  
"You found something, didn't you?"  
  
"Apparently, Yumeko-san's rites were suspiciously hasty. It almost as if the Family was hiding something."  
  
"What was it?"  
  
"Noriko-san was one of the few people who saw Yumeko-san's body before she was cremated," Shigure replied, "According to Noriko-san's diary, there were scratches and bruises on Yumeko-san's face, neck and arms. It was as if she struggled while someone held her under water."  
  
"Souma Yumeko was murdered and the Outer House members believe that Kazuma-san's grandfather did it," Ayame stated the sentence aloud in disbelief, as if the idea will make more sense in doing so  
  
"That's basically it on the nutshell," Shigure replied as he reached over to the bedside table for a packet of cigarettes  
  
The line on Ayame's forehead furrowed even deeper, unable to believe what he just heard, "That's insane! The cat and the mouse of the Jyuunishi have a reputation of... not getting along... but to the point that they would actually kill... "  
  
"That's because, he didn'tkill her," came the writer's muffled reply as he spoke while lighting the cigarette in his mouth, "That cat's only crime was being in the wrong place at the wrong time."  
  
"He was the one who found her, wasn't he?"   
  
"He even tried to revive her, and carried her to find help. But it was too late," Shigure nodded before taking a drag, "Needless to say, there was no way that he would do anything like that to her."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I don't know if this had anything to do with it... but Yumeko-san was "different" from the other Mouse incarnations. It's a funny coincidence that the Mouse always seemed to end up with birth complications, isn't it?" Shigure began, "According to Noriko-san's diary, Yumeko-chan's birth was very difficult. I would assume that she probably had some brain damage that's why she ended up blind. I made some additional research... I don't have proof, but and I have reason to believe that she was probably autistic as well. Noriko-san wrote that Yumeko-san had an unusual memory. She started playing the piano by ear to flawless perfection since she was three and if you prodded her, she could recite books read to her or conversations she heard word for word. Though, even at age 10, Yumeko-san's cognitive reasoning and logic remained that of a 5-year-old's."  
  
Ayame leaned back on his seat and stared at no particular thing in space, deep in thought, "So that means..."  
  
"Yumeko-san was not capable of 'hating' anything or anyone... or so it appeared," Shigure murmured, "It's not clear how she ended up getting acquainted with Kazuma-dono's grandfather. But it was definitely clear that she adored . Noriko-san said that Yumeko-san would often sneak away to be with her beloved 'Oniichan' despite her physical limitations and.... objections... from certain members of the Inner House. And he loved her dearly like a precious little sister," The writer replied in an odd tone, an unreadable expression crossing his face as his tone fell into an almost inaudible whisper, "That's how it should have always been."  
  
"Then the mouse died, the cat was accused of her murder and imprisoned..." Ayame continued absent-mindedly  
  
"'It's all the mouse's fault'," Shigure took another drag from his cigarette, "And the cursed cycle of hate and revenge started all over again."  
  
"But if it's really a murder, why try to hide it?" Ayame protested, "Why wasn't there any investigation to find out who really did it?"   
  
"No, it's not the matter of not having an investigation. Noriko-san had reason to believe that what they found in their investigation was the reason why it was hidden away in the first place," The dog stated pensively  
  
"What do did they find?"  
  
"The found hair samples in her hands," Shigure replied,"I suppose from the struggle."  
  
"And?"  
  
Shigure satred the wisp of smoke filtering from his lit cigarette before looking up to give his cousin a silent significant look, "It wasn't orange."  
  
The snake frowned,"They never found out who did it?"  
  
Shigure snorted before taking another drag from his cigarette, "I think they knew who it was from the beginning. This sort of thing has happened before."  
  
"Then why...?"  
  
"Because our family prefers to bury skeletons inside closets rather than solve the root of the problem," Shigure interrupted coldly as he stabbed his half-finished cigarette on a nearbl ashtray in a huff of simmering anger, "As a result, we're allowing ourselves to be trapped in this damned cycle and history repeats itself over and over again."  
  
"Gure-san?"  
  
Shigure stopped and gazed at his cousin's face. Ayame was being exceedingly patient with him. But it was obvious that it was the patience of a person, sympathetically listening to the words of the confused and the delirious. All at once, a heavy sense of fatigue fell onto the writer's body. He fell back on his bed with a sigh and ran his hands over his face tiredly, "Sorry A-ya. I'm not making any sense... These dreams I've been having are making it hard to think straight."  
  
"It's alright, Gure-san. We'll think about it later. What's more important right now is for you to get better, then later on, we'll figure it out together. Now go ahead and sleep. I'll stay here and watch over you. Don't worry about those dreams," Ayame leaned out from his seat and put a reassuring hand on his cousin's arm, "After all, they're just dreams, right?"  
  
Shigure gave his best friend a strained smile and closed his eyes in defeat.  
  
/My mom told me once that sometimes, dreams are glimpses of memories from a past life./  
  
"I wonder if she's dreaming of the same thing while she sleeps..." Shigure murmured absent-mindedly, his consciousness hovering between the line of sleep and wakefullness  
  
"Who?" Ayame asked curiously  
  
"Yukino..."  
  
******  
  
A young woman opened her eyes sat up with a loud gasp. She put a delicate hand over her chest, trying to calm her hammering heart. Her eyes fell upon her unfamiliar surroundings, and suddenly, that sense of panic she felt in her dream resurged in her entire being.   
  
They were waiting for her for a long long time.  
  
She needed to get up.   
  
She had to go to them.   
  
So she struggled with her beddings and maneuvered herself out bed and out of the room, not bothering to put anything over her bed clothes.  
  
"Tooru-kun?" A voice called out to her in concern as she stepped into the hallway  
  
The young woman turned around to see Kagura's alarmed face.  
  
"Tooru-kun, where are you going?" Kagura called out again as she stepped closer.   
  
"To the garden," Tooru replied with a distant voice, "The children are waiting."  
  
"Children?" Kagura frowned as she reached out for the other woman. The boar's eyes widened in concern upon realizing that her friend appeared to be half-asleep, "Tooru-kun, what are you talking about?"   
  
In turn, Tooru broke free from the boar's loose grasp, still determined to go toward her intended destination, "They're waiting in the garden. She's crying because her brother's teasing her again."  
  
"Tooru-kun, there's no one in the garden. You must have been dreaming," Kagura said gently but maneuvering her friend back into the bedroom, "You had a rough day, you're supposed to be resting now, remember? Kyou-kun said that he'll look after Yun-chan so you can get some sleep."   
  
"But the children..." Tooru prostested, half-resisting as Kagura led her back to bed  
  
"All right, I'll go to the garden and make sure the children are alright,"Kagura finally gave in, realizing that it was no use arguing with someone sleepwalking. She made a small sigh of relief as the other woman appeared pacified with her words and allowed herself to be tucked in.   
  
"Thank you," Tooru said with a warm grateful smile, her eyes drooping to answer the silent beckoning of sleep, "I'm glad I can always depend on you."   
  
"Shhh... just go back to sleep now," Kagura hushed softly, fixing the blankets under her friend's chin  
  
"Thank you... Nagusami-chan..."  
  
  
  
To be continued…  
  
~~@~~  
  
AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:  
  
It has been a while since I last updated this fic, ne? Hmmm... the plot thickens and is becoming more and more non-sensical! Or is it? For those of you confused, there are some references to events that happened this fic's prequel "Jyunnishi no Enkei Monogatari". You can also check it out in fanfiction.net or Mediaminer.org. Search for it either under my name or under the mentioned title. Anywayz, thanks for continuing to read! ^_^.  
  
Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com  
  
Ja!   
  
Ina-chan 


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.   
  
Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Ten  
  
By Ina-chan   
  
It's been almost fifteen minutes.  
  
The writer idly tapped his pen on the edge of the notebook on his lap as he continued to wait. His eyes focused blankly on the same page... more like he couldn't get himself to look up, thus his notes seemed like as good as an excuse to occupy his attention. Nontheless, his ears perked anxiously as he monitored his surroundings.   
  
Waiting.   
  
The room was so silent that the tapping pen blared like a base drum in his ears. But still, he patiently waited as another minute added to his vigil. It was a battle of the wills... a great matter of principle was on stake. But it would seem that his opponent was just as determined to not be the first to break down.  
  
"I've had enough of this nonsense, You're no longer in elementary school. If you don't resolve this like adults, it's up to you," Ayame sighed with uncharacteristic exasperation, he ran his fingers through his silvery strands melodramatically, making his way out of the room," I'm GOOOO~~ING now! I better not come back to a blood bath or I'll spank the both of you!"  
  
With that, the snake left the room in feigned huff. Shigure almost allowed the amused smile creeping to touch the corners of his lips at his cousin's antics... but he forced his face to keep its apathetic expression. He thought it was unusual that Ayame seemed impatient to leave his side when his cousin first came to visit him that morning. It seems that this was the answer to his unspoken question. It doesn't really matter now, anyway. He pushed all other thoughts away from his mind. After all, this was still the middle of a battle. His opponent had already won countless battles like this in the past... but this time, it'll be different. He knew he was on the right this time, despite what Hatori may believe. This was one battle he can't lose. He refuses to lose...  
  
"OW! What the---" Shigure yelped in pain, suddenly clutching his arm. He finally looked up and saw the Souma Family doctor standing by his bedside as he nonchalantly untangled the sphygmomanometer. Shigure could only glare at the other man, "What did you do that for?"  
  
"That piece of tape was on the way," The doctor said blandly as he wrapped the blood pressure cuff around the novelist's upper arm, before adjusting his stethoscope   
  
"You didn't have to rip my ski---" The dog protested indignantly  
  
"Shhhh!" The dragon pointed at his cousin sternly, demanding his complete silence, before proceeding with his task  
  
Shigure let out a defeated sigh and slumped back on his pillows. He really should have known by now that those tactics don't work on Hatori, "I don't know why you're allowed to become a doctor. Your bedside manners are horrible."  
  
"You talk too much," was Hatori's simple curt reply as he peeled off the measuring instrument and motioned at the other man to sit up  
  
The writer sat up obediently, shrugged off the sleeves of his yukata, and the doctor started examining his chest sounds. Hatori still had that chilly 'I'm still mad at you aura around him'. The dog knew well enough from childhood experience that the dragon was slow to anger. In those instances after Hatori's ire was unleashed, though he may act civil, Shigure knew too well that the fire of the dragon's wrath was also slowly extinguished. To be quite honest, he was still a little surprised that Hatori actually came to him when the embers were obviously still seething. Then again, Hatori does have the noble trait of swallowing his pride for the sake of the common good. It saddened him that more likely than not, Hatori was only seeing him out of duty.   
  
"So what's the verdict? Am I going to live," Shigure called out playfully as he pulled on his clothes after Hatori finished his examination  
  
"Unfortunately," Hatori replied abruptly, "Right until you're a senile dirty old man."  
  
In spite of himself, Shigure allowed himself a small smile, languishing on the relief that relieved at least, they were in talking terms again, "I'm sorry about earlier. I knew I should have told you in the first place... but I didn't intend for Kana-chan to get involved in this. And she still isn't. As far as she knows, she was only helping me with my research for a new book."  
  
Hatori didn't answer, maintaining a stoic expression on his face.  
  
Shigure sighed again, "This is exactly the reason why I didn't want to tell you..."  
  
"But you didn't hesitate to tell someone else," Hatori stated blandly  
  
The novelist frowned,"What?"   
  
No... Hatori's anger hasn't waned a single notch. Behind the impassive mask and the calm voice, Shigure could sense the intensity of his best friend's fury. Whatever it was that got him riled up, it was definitely bigger than the Kana incident. The dog tensed up instinctively, as anxiety started to settle in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Shigure stared at the other man nervously, "What happened?"  
  
"Shigure," Hatori began, his steely gave locking his best friend in place, "Why did you tell Tooru-kun?"  
  
The writer's eyes widened at the revelation and started to shake his head protest.  
  
"I don't care what you do on your own anymore," Hatori interrupted before words could leave the other man's lips, "I hoped Kana was your last mistake. But Tooru-kun... She's already stressed as it is, Shigure. Involving her in this... Most specially now... it's unforgiveable."  
  
"I didn't..." Shigure began, "Ha-san... what happened? Did something happen to Tooru-kun?"  
  
Hatori crossed his arms and studied his patient before speaking, "She's having problems sleeping. Kagura told me that Tooru-kun has also been sleepwalking. And it all seemed to have started roughly after your incident in the library."  
  
Shigure stared at the doctor in shock. He was aware that their flower has been going through a lot, and she had told him in passing about her sleeping troubles. But he didn't realize how serious the situation really was. Suddenly, it was completely clear the real reason why Ayame was acting strangely that morning. He clenched his fists as a wave of guilt descended over him once again, "How is she?"  
  
"Resting," Hatori replied quietly, "Fortunately, she's a more compliant patient than you and she has Kagura and Kyou to be my eyes."  
  
"Yuki..." Shigure started  
  
"Don't think about any thing else now," Hatori interrupted once again, his voice raising slightly, betraying his real emotions, "I need you to tell me why you told Tooru-kun?"  
  
Direct to the point. So annoyingly typical of Hatori. The writer glared at the doctor defiantly, "I didn't tell her anything!"  
  
"Then what happened in the library that day?" Hatori demanded  
  
"Nothing. I was just doing research on the family logs, she came to bring some tea, we talked, and..." Shigure's voice trailed, his eyes turning inwardly as he remembered"...the sketchbook."  
  
"Sketchbook?"   
  
Shigure looked back at the other man, "I just showed her a few drawings from Souma Yuuta-san's sketchbook."  
  
"Souma Yuuta?"  
  
"Iwaku-san's nephew. He was the..." The writer's voice trailed again, "...mouse... zodiac..."  
  
Hatori's eyes flashed at the statement, "What else?"  
  
"That's it," Shigure replied, feeling torn between his growing concern for his cousin's wife and the nervousness starting to gnaw at him as Hatori quietly studied him. This was a side that his bestfriend rarely shows. Hatori almost never forces himself into other people's business' unless he was called upon for damage control. Thus, all at once, Shigure realized the seriousness of the situation. Something else is going on that would rattle Hatori's "live and let live" attitude that would make the doctor to procatively intervene and take matters into his hands. Hatori has not acted like this since...  
  
...since that time, years ago...  
  
...when Tooru started living in Shigure's House.  
  
"Hatori," There was an uncharacteristic tremor in Shigure's voice as he stated his best friend's full name, "What is it?"  
  
"She knows," Hatori answered gravely, "Tooru-kun knows Iwaku-san's story."  
  
The Dog's eyes widened once again in disbelief, "What? How's that possible? She couldn't possibly have known about it?"  
  
"Unless there's something that you're not telling me."   
  
"Why would I hide something like that from you?"   
  
Hatori simply gave him a significant look. Shigure shrank back, feeling stung. At the same time, he could feel his anger starting to rise within him. He took a deep breath and pushed back his annoyance. This was not the time for this.  
  
"Kagura prodded if Tooru-kun remembered anything about the dream that caused her to sleepwalk,"Hatori began, changing the direction of the conversation, upon senseing Shigure's unspoken plea  
  
Shigure nodded, encouraging his best friend to continue.  
  
"Kagura doesn't know about the story,"Hatori stated, "So I was rather surprised to hear her describe about the garden that Tooru-kun told her from her dream. It was almost the same account as the peach orchard that Iwaku-san described in his story."  
  
"The garden where Kaji and Yukino-chan played in as children?" The dog asked, a contemplative expression crossing his face, "But that doesn't really mean anything."  
  
"Kagura said that when Tooru-kun was sleepwalking," The dragon added, "She called Kagura a strange name."  
  
Shigure frowned, his anxiety was quickly turning to full blown fear... "What is it?"  
  
"Nagusami."  
  
The writer took a deep intake of breath. Somehow, he had a feeling that was what the dragon was going to say. His mind whirled as he desperately seached deep inside the recesses of his memories. He closed his eyes and rubbed his right temple as he desperately tried to recollect every conversation... every incident... Souma Iwaku... the Souma curse... the Mizugawa revenge... Akito... anything! Anything at all that would give them a clue to why this was happening.  
  
"It seemed that it all started after your incident in the library,"Hatori repeated his earlier statement helpfully  
  
Shigure shook his head, "No... Tooru-kun said once that she had that dream about the garden ever since she was a child."  
  
This time, it was the dragon who stared at the dog in disbelief, "That's impossible! She's not even a Souma by blood. The only possible way she could dream that too, is if someone suggested it..."  
  
"Dream that... too?"  
  
Hatori stopped abruptly, as if suddenly realizing he was saying something that he shouldn't have said aloud. However, it was too late to take back his words. He stood up from his seat, and motioned to leave the room.   
  
But Shigure literally leapt from his bed and held on to the other man's arm urgently, "Who is it?"  
  
The doctor looked away, and remained silent.  
  
"Ha-san, tell me who it is," Shigure's grasped tightened on his best friend's arm, "When I first brought Souma Iwaku's story to light, you scoffed at the mere idea of it. I know you. There is absolutely no way you will suddenly change what you believe unless you've seen proof otherwise. Someone else aside from Tooru-kun and myself are having these dreams. There is someone, isn't there? Who is it? Is it one of the jyuunishi? Is it you?"  
  
"No, it's not me," Hatori replied quietly, still refusing to meet the other man's eyes, "And it's not my place to tell you anything."  
  
"Cut the confidentiality crap," Shigure growled, finally allowing his buried anger to surface, "History is on the verge of repeating itself and we don't have much time to stop it. Tell me who it is!"  
  
"It's not my place to tell you anything," The Dragon repeated firmly, "But if you really want to get your answers, there's only one thing that you can do."  
  
"What?"  
  
Hatori looked up and faced his friend to hold the writer's eyes in a very significant and enigmatic gaze, "Pray."  
  
The Dog's face darkened at the Dragon's cryptic reply, his hands loosening their grip and forming twin angry fists on his lap.  
  
******  
  
The sound of hurried orders and panicked feet echoed over the polished wooden floors, thundering in the background. She made an involuntary cringe as another tortured wail punctuated in the air. The atmosphere around them was heavy with tension. Despite the numerous times this has happened, she still couldn't get herself to be rid of this agonizing sense of fear that she's feeling. Finally the the torrent of sounds finally ebbed to silence, as the cause of the newest storm has finally been calmed.  
  
Thus, she fully concentrated on wringing out the excess amounts of antiseptic from the cotton ball that held it with her tweezers, before turning her attention to the cleaned small cuts and scratches on the young man's cheek in front of her. And for the life of her, she couldn't understand why he's doing this. Or why she's doing this. But despite her past efforts to separate herself from this person before her, in the end, she found herself still by his side.  
  
He didn't react at all when the swab cleansed his wounds.   
  
She knows from experience how much this stings. His strength in bearing pain was one of his qualities that attracted her. Then again, knowing all the sacrifices this person before her is going through... the sting of alcohol on a scrape is nothing more than a bite from an ant. She loved and hated him for that nobility of his. But even more, she hated herself for not having the power to protect him.  
  
"Rin is suddenly so quiet... mystery," her patient's cool, laid back voice, broke their silence  
  
"Idiot," She replied in a quiet tone, "Why do you put up with this? You already know that there's no stopping him when he falls into his spells."  
  
"It's not his fault, you already know that," the young man answered patiently  
  
"That doesn't make it right," she stated with an angry lilt in her voice, as she taped a piece of guaze over one of the deeper cuts on his face  
  
"But at least," he countered as he caught her fingers on his bandaged cheek, closed his eyes and pressed against them, "it gives me the pleasure of having Rin tend to my battle wounds."  
  
The young woman immediately pulled her hand away, an embarrassed flush rushing to her face, "I-idiot. Stop saying stupid things like that."  
  
The young man rose to his feet and started to make his way out of the room.  
  
"Don't tell me that you're going back there!" she glared at him in disbelief.  
  
"I just want to make sure that Kureno is alright," he replied with a non-chalant wave. He rose to his feet and made his way out of the room.  
  
She ground her teeth before turning after him, "HARU!"   
  
Haru looked back from the doorway to give her a reassuring smile, "Everything will be alright, you'll see."   
  
Rin could only bow her head in defeat, listening to the fading echoes of young man's footsteps against the polished wooden floors.  
  
To be continued…  
  
~~@~~  
  
AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:  
  
For a chapter so simple, writing this bit was rather difficult. The noose is getting tighter and the leash is getting shorter. I have a feeling that the end is very near, (I hope). Anywayz, thank you everyone for commenting on this rather strange fic. And see you guys in chapter 11 (Soon, I hope...)  
  
Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com  
  
Ja!   
  
Ina-chan 


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.  
  
April 1, 2004  
  
Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Eleven  
  
By Ina-chan  
  
"The scent peach blossoms... heavy and sweet... the smell of the memory of you..."  
  
The slurred monotoned whisper with its sing-song rhythm bounced eerily through the four corners of the room.  
  
"You... are the blossoms in the breeze...."  
  
As if impersonating the actions of the blossoms in the tuneless song, the whisper hung in the air like a persistent phantom.  
  
"...dancing gracefully..."  
  
The whisper chanted in an almost childlike manner.  
  
"... floating persistently..."  
  
A complete contrast to the obvious "adult" lower range pitch that it held.  
  
"...defying desprately... desperately..."  
  
Nonetheless... listening to the sound would make any person's skin crawl.... or drive a person to insanity... or both.  
  
"...the will of gravity..."  
  
Yet... he sat there unmoving.  
  
"...the heavy... heavy... will of god..."  
  
Waiting.  
  
"...tugging... pulling... struggling...."  
  
Not really understanding what it was he was waiting for... or how long he had to wait.  
  
"...the clear waters turning murky..."  
  
Three hours had already passed, and all throughout that time, the damned whisper just continued to sing tunelessly.  
  
"...silky hair... a pretty silver blanket spread on calm..."  
  
But patience had always been one of his greatest virtues. So he waited without complaint.  
  
"...red crimson on the floor..."  
  
He looked up instinctively as the door slid open behind him to meet a pair of stoic light brown eyes looking at him inquiringly. He simply shook his head and the other man gave him a knowing bow in response before sliding the door closed once again. His eyes stayed at the direction of the door, as he listened for the older man's footsteps to fade in the hallways.  
  
"Hatsuharu."  
  
The Ox automatically turned towards the direction of the voice. He found his master peering at him through heavy-lidded eyes, "I'm here."  
  
His companion still had that pitiful haunted little boy's tone in his quiet whisper, "I'm sorry I hit you. I didn't mean to."  
  
"I know, Akito," Haru replied  
  
"Do you hate me?" Akito asked again, his eyes closing for a moment as if resting from a great effort, before quickly opening again  
  
"I don't hate you," the other man answered reassuringly  
  
Akito looked at the other man hopefully, "Can you let me loose now? I promise not to hit you again."  
  
"A little later, when you're more settled."  
  
"But I am settled! I can barely even lift up my arms... see?" Akito protested almost pathetically, as he unsuccessfully demonstrated to lift up one of his restrained arms from his  
  
bed, "And they're sore. I promise I won't try to run away. I promise not to hurt myself either. Please let me loose. Please pleasepleasepleaseplease...."  
  
"I let you loose after you get some sleep."  
  
"IDIOT!!! I DON'T WANT TO SLEEP!!! I WANT TO BE SET FREE!!! LET ME LOOSE RIGHT NOW!!!" The Souma Master screamed with newfound energy fuelled by his fury. His eyes flashed ferociously as he struggled with his bonds.  
  
Haru couldn't help wincing at the sight of fresh scarlet seeping at the bandages that protected his master's injured wrist. It was only a superficial wound caused by an earlier incident. One of the servants carelessly forgot to count a missing chopstick from their master's meal trays. Akito had snapped the cuttlery in two and had attempted to slash his wrist repeatedly with the sharpened edge when he found an opportunity to be alone. It was fortunate that he started screaming in frustration when he realized that he couldn't do much damage with his tool. Haru found him in time just as Akito was about to stab his injured hand.  
  
Three hours, four point restraints, and a shot of a large tranquilizer dose later... Akito still remained awake and unrepentant of his earlier actions. In many ways, Akito was a lot like Yuki. Despite the overwhelming obstacles put in front of him... His sheer will... or perhaps his madness as well... fueled his almost inhuman ability to resist others who try to make him succumb into their wishes.  
  
Of course, this was just one of the many incidents that Haru had grown used to watch out for since their Master's gradual deterioration years ago. But it had only come to psychotic proportions almost immediately after Yuki's illness. As much as he had his own issues with Akito... and as much as it did seem to be for the best since everyone had started to enjoy a form of relative freedom since Akito had gotten sick... still... Haru never wanted wished for anything like this to happen to anyone. While everyone knew that Akito had fallen ill, it was really just him, Rin, Kureno, Hatori, and a few trusted servants who knew exactly what Akito was ill of.  
  
It frustrated him.  
  
Whatever the demons tormenting his Master were... Haru couldn't help stop this overwhelming feeling that he had to be there by Akito's side or something horrible would happen. It was just a silly feeling, as Rin would put it. But he didn't want to risk it. He knew that if he didn't do this... something very precious to him... to all of them... would be lost.  
  
"Akito," Haru stated quietly amidst the other man's screaming, as he motioned to get up on his feet, "I'm going to get Hatori."  
  
Almost immediately the dark-haired man stopped and stared at the younger man, his eyes widening anxiously, "NO! No, no, please. I'm sorry. No more needles. I'm sorry I yelled. I won't do it again. I promise I'll be quiet. Don't call Hatori. Don't leave me alone. Please. Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease...."  
  
Haru settled back on his seat and returned to his silent vigil.  
  
Akito automatically relaxed and stared up at the ceiling, "Hatsuharu... do you hate me?"  
  
"No, I don't hate you, Akito," came the other man's immediate reply. He closed his eyes, as he mentally prepared himself. It was going to start again. This always happens when his  
  
Master suffers from under one of his 'spells'. First comes a string of repeated questions that he will give a string of repeated answers, and soon after Akito will fall once again into a lapse of tuneless whispered singing.  
  
"Do you think she hates me?"  
  
"Who is her, Akito?" It starts with that mysterious woman whom he only refers to as "she" or "her".  
  
"Her. She came to me again."  
  
'She' visits him... haunts him... whenever his Master closes his eyes, a woman whose beauty no words can describe.  
  
"She was a boy this time."  
  
'She' comes in many different forms and faces. Woman, girl, boy, young man... but it doesn't matter what she looks like. His Master always knows that it's her.  
  
"She was going away. Far, far, away. I told her that I would marry her so she didn't have to leave and we'd be together forever."  
  
'She's' always trying to leave. And his Master always tries to hold on to 'her'.  
  
"But she refused to stay with me. She didn't say it out loud but I knew it was because of him. It was always because of him."  
  
'She's' always trying to run away because of a person that his master only refers to as 'him'.  
"You were also there Hatsuharu," Akito broke away momentarily from the ceiling to look at the younger man, "But you were a girl."  
  
"Was I?" Haru answered on cue  
  
"You were the one who told me about it... and I cried. I cried and I cried and I cried."  
  
And the end result is always the same. No matter how hard he tries to keep 'her'... 'She' always leaves.  
  
"You won't leave me like she always does, right, Hatsuharu?"  
  
"I'll always be here, Akito."  
  
"She had beautiful long hair. The first time I saw her was in the peach orchard. I wasn't wearing my usual clothes so she didn't know it was me."  
  
'Her' hair was flowing freely in the breeze as 'she' sat in the garden.  
  
"She was very kind. Beautiful and kind. She had a beautiful smile... but her eyes were sad."  
  
'She' sat there as if waiting for someone.  
  
"All I ever wanted is to see her smile with happy eyes. All I ever wanted is to stay beside her and watch her smile with happy eyes."  
  
But 'he' wouldn't allow it. 'He' didn't want 'her' to be happy with anyone. 'He' wanted to keep her for himself.  
  
"But instead she chose him over me. She loved him much more than her own life. She even cut her beautiful long hair for him."  
  
'She' always chose 'him', even though 'he' had grown to hate 'her'.  
  
"She loved him more than she can ever love me."  
  
So the end is always the same. 'She' leaves... always. And it would start again... the damned monotonous singing about flying peach blossoms, about drowning in murky waters, and of pools of deep, deep red seeping on the ground. Bringing goosebumps on your arms... enough to drive anyone insane...  
  
"Hatsuharu."  
  
Haru blinked, his thoughts being pulled out into reality as he found Akito looking at him with an intense glint in his eyes. Something inside him snapped in attention, as if hypnotized by his master's gaze.  
  
"Do you love me, Hatsuharu?" Akito's soft voice rang clearly in the silence of the room  
  
"Yes, Akito," His lips replied automatically, his voice answering without his consent... as if it suddenly grew a will of its own  
  
"Then you will help me?"  
  
"Whatever you wish, Akito."  
  
"Stop her. Stop her from torturing me."  
  
Haru frowned. This was definitely something out of the ordinary. When Akito fell into these spells of his, he never broke his cycles... at least, not on his watch. He was tempted to get up and call for Kureno... but there was something in the unusual way Akito was staring at him that seemed to freeze him in place. He felt like a small animal caught in the headlights of an incoming car. No matter how much he willed his body to move... he attained no response.  
  
"Kill her. End all this suffering now. End all this misery now. End the pain. It's the only way to stop it. It's the only way for everything to fall in place. Kill her while she's sleeping.  
  
While its painless. Kill her for me."  
  
Haru stared at the older man in shock. Something stirred inside of him. He let out a gasp, his hands clutching the side of his head as he doubled over from the sharp pain shot through his  
  
left eye. All at once... random images and sounds... fragments of disjointed dreams... as if being played from a broken movie reel flashed in front of his eyes.  
  
He dreamed of a small ten-year-old girl with long silver-gray tresses, her face showing pure delight... her cloudy useless gray eyes not marring the beauty of her childish face a single bit. She ran to his arms excitedly as he lifted her up. He let her fingers trace the contours of his face for her to "see" him. /Sou-chan came! Yume-chan missed Sou-chan so much! Is Onnichan coming too?/  
  
Kill her.  
  
He dreamed of a handsome young man looking in the distance as he tapped a blank sketchpad in front of him in annoyance, /I know! I know! It's already been a month since I received the letter. And I'm leaving for Germany next week. But... I just don't have the  
  
heart to tell Akiko-san.../  
  
He dreamed of a little girl, sobbing uncontrollably in the comforting arms of an older boy. Watching the scene, his heart poured onto her grief. So in his dream, he couldn't help but let a  
  
painful sob from escaping his throat as well. The boy, upon hearing him, turned to him with an annoyed frown, /Stop crying. Don't disgrace our family name./  
  
End all this suffering now.  
  
He dreamed of a young boy sitting by the open window who looked at him without a trace of pre-judgement in his eyes as he made a small smile, /Un. I understand./  
  
He dreamed of two young girls sitting by the open engawa. The older- looking girl, with long dark hair was braiding the younger girl's identically styled silver grey hair, /Yume-chan has such pretty hair. Promise that you'll keep your hair the same way, and I'll keep my hair the same way as yours. We'll be like sisters and we'll be best friends and be together forever and ever./  
  
He dreamed that the younger girl laughed gleefully in agreement to what the older girl said, /Un! Yume-chan with A-chan and Oniichan forever and ever./  
  
Stop her.  
  
He dreamed of that young man again, from earlier. His eyes flashed with uncharacteristic anger as he glared at him. Almost accusingly, /SHE'S LYING!!! You KNOW that I didn't touch her. You KNOW that it's IMPOSSIBLE! You can't make me stay here. Taka, you promised to help me! If you keep me here, she's going to do something to hurt Kyoko!/  
  
End all this misery now.  
  
He dreamed of a scene that looked like it came from a historical epic, where a stern looking man and a defiant younger woman, both wearing clothes from the feudal eras of forgotten lore, glared at each other with unspoken anger.  
  
/Do you honestly believe that the Souma clan will accept you?/ said the man he dreamed  
  
/Who said that they had to know that it is Mizugawa Yukino standing in front of them?/ said the beautiful young woman shot back, refusing to back down.  
  
/And how do you expect to get away with that?/ the man challenged  
  
And he dreamt her responding to his statement with one swift move. She took the sword by his feet before he could react and slashed her long tresses. Her now chin length hair flew wildly in the air... but the icy determination in her eyes was what froze him in place. And he knew all at once, even though that it was merely a dream, that the decision he made a child was not a mistake. He would everything in his power to protect her... from back then... to now...  
  
tomorrow... and even beyond death.  
  
Stop her torture...  
  
He dreamt of a 12-year-old girl screaming at his face in utter disbelief, /THAT'S A LIE!!! YOU'RE LYING!!! YUUTA CAN'T BE DEAD! HE WAS SUPPOSED TO STAY WITH ME FOREVER AND EVER AND EVER!!! TAKE IT BACK TAKA! TAKE IT BACK! YUUTA'S NOT DEAD! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!/  
  
End all this pain.  
  
He dreamt of a familiar looking man... with a younger face. This young man in his dream, he remembered to normally have wild orange hair. Now, it was matted wet auburn locks as the man sat by the lakeshore, as if in shock. In his arms, he protectively held a limp small girl with long silver-grey tresses. He was rocked gently as if he was merely putting her to sleep. The man he dreamt looked completely lost when his tear-streaked face finally looked up to meet his eyes /Souichiro... she was in the water... Souichiro, she's not breathing. I can't get her to start breathing... Do something, please? Make her start breathing again./  
  
It's the only way for it to stop...  
  
He dreamt of that beautiful woman, who cut her hair. Her voice came out as a harsh rasp. /What's wrong?/  
  
And in his dream, he could only stare in horror at the realization that the arrow neatly impaled itself through the gaps of her armour and through the delicate flesh of her neck. He let out an anguished cry as she crumpled and fell off her horse, his elder brother deftly catching her in his arms. He rushed to her side, ignoring the chaos beginning around him. She reached out to wipe the tears flowing freely from his eyes. And in his dream... he lamented in sorrow because he failed. He couldn't protect her...  
  
End her suffering painlessly...  
  
He dreamt of that day when Shigure gathered them and quietly said. /It doesn't look good./ He dreamt and remembered how everyone reacted when Shigure explained how impossible the situation was.  
  
/Shi-chan, what are the chances of him waking up?/  
  
/........./  
  
/Sensei?/  
  
/......... zero./  
  
/WHAT!?!/  
  
/But knowing Yuki, he'll keep hanging on for as long as he can on life support until..../  
  
/That's not fair! Shi-chan, we can't let Yun-chan suffer like that!/  
  
/That's not our decision to make Kagura./  
  
/Bullshit! You're saying that we have to leave the decision to Tooru- san then?/  
  
/That's not a decision for her to make either./  
  
It's the only way...  
  
He dreamt that he was standing in Yuki's room, watching Yuki sleep. Wondering in awe at the peaceful quality on Yuki's face as he slept. It didn't seem like he was miserable... or suffering... but he knew that this was not the way for anybody to live... to just be alive, but not living. He knew if it were he in his place, he wouldn't want to live like this. He wouldn't have wanted the people around him to suffer as they watched him slowly waste away. He stood  
  
by the sleeping figure and stared at the plastic tubes splayed all arund. Ever since that day, when they were children... Haru vowed that he would do everything in his power to protect him. Whether it be to protect Yuki from Akito, or from his mother, or even his own self-indulgent loneliness... Haru kept that personal vow at heart. But how can you protect a person when the enemy is his own failing body?  
  
It hurt him to see Yuki and Tooru like this. Despite the reassuring smiles and the encouraging words he's freely given to Tooru, it seemed to get harder and harder to maintain it day by day. Specially now with Akito deteriorating even more. Everyone is suffering. Tooru, Akito, Rin, Ayame- niisan, Hatori-niisan, Sensei... everyone. Everyone is feeling the strain. Keeping Yuki in this state... there is this awful feeling of uncertainess. Like being painted in the corner of the room. No matter which way you turn, there is no place to go. At least if all of this finally ended...  
  
If it finally ended... there will be closure. Everyone will be miserable for a while, but eventually, they will finally be able to move on.  
  
So... Kill her... Stop her from torturing me... kill her while she sleeps...  
  
In his dream, his eyes trailed at the sleeping image of the young man he loved and admired since he was a child and stopped at the clear plastic attached to his neck. The solution, after all, was simple, and painless. It's just like dying peacefully in your sleep. All it took was to reach out and make one quick tug...  
  
"Hatsuharu-san?"  
  
Haru blinked at the sound of his name. He turned around and saw his cousin's wife looking at him in concern with a vase of fresh flowers at hand. He looked at his surroundings, and his eyes widened in surprise, upon realizing that he really was in Yuki's room... It wasn't a dream. And if Tooru didn't come on time... he would have... His hands automatically went up to cover his mouth as bile started to rise up his throat.  
  
"Hatsuharu-san? Are you alright?" Tooru put the vase on the nightstand, pulled a chair closer to the younger man and gently led him to be seated,"Stay here, I'll go get Hatori-san."  
  
"No!" Haru's hands immediately shot out to grab her wrist. He shook his head vigorously and forced a smile, "I'm fine. I think I'm just a little tired. I'm sorry to have worried you."  
  
Tooru frowned as her eyes focused on the bandage on his cheek, "Hatsuharu-san, what happened to your face?"  
  
"Ah. I was just clumsy and had a little accident earlier," Haru replied comfortingly, "Rin already gave me a lecture about it, so I'll make sure not to do it again."  
  
The frown etched on the young woman's face was not erased by his reassurance, "I think it would be wise for Hatori-san to see you. And of course I'm worried regardless. Everyone seems to be getting sick one by one from stress. I bet you, Isuzu-san and Kureno-san are busy with Akito-san. I heard from the servants that he was ill again this morning. Is he all right?"  
  
The young man couldn't help but wince at her words. But somehow, he managed to not allow his smile to falter, "You should worry more about yourself, Tooru-san. After all, it's not just you that's dependent on your health. Shouldn't you be resting?"  
  
An sheepish look crept on to the girl's face, "Ah... well. I'm supposed to just be going to the washroom. But I figured that since I was out of my room, I might as well visit Yuki-kun for a  
  
little while. Kyou-kun needed the break anyway. And Kagura-san allowed me one hour with him before she comes to drag me back." With that, she let out a long sigh,"This is really not how I expected this."  
  
"Expected what?" Haru inquired curiously  
  
"Anou..." The young woman instantly blushed and ducked her head in embarrassment, "This whole pregnancy experience. I always thought it was going to be something special and wonderful... I mean it is... but at the same time, with how everyone is acting... sometimes it feels like a prison term."  
  
The Ox couldn't help but give her an amused chuckle at that. His eyes twinkling mischievously as he got on his feet, "Saa... then I suppose I should take me leave so you can have your conjugal visit with your husband."  
  
"EH!?!!! HATSUHARU-SAN!!!" Tooru exclaimed, completely scandalized, as she turned into an even deeper shade of red  
  
Haru held in his laughter as he left the room with a small wave. But as he walked back to Akito's side of the compound, a numb feeling erased whatever laughter he wanted to let out from his encounter with Tooru. His thoughts played over and over again at the visions he saw in his head... as well as what almost happened... what he could have ended up doing. He was already half-way back when the familiar ball of anger that he kept hidden inside started to seethe and boil in his chest. His feelings were probably obviously showing on his face as well, for every person he met in the halls instinctively stepped aside to let him pass. Even Rin didn't attempt  
  
to block his way when he met her at the corridor that led to Akito's quarters. He didn't stop until he reached the sliding door that opened into Akito's room. And that was only because Kureno blocked his path. Kureno was one of the few members of the jyuunishi who was not intimidated by his Black personality. But then again... very few things intimidated Kureno.  
  
"Get out of my way," Haru's voice snarled low and dangerously. He didn't know what just happened or how it happened. But he knew that he was going to get to the bottom of it, and no  
  
one... not even the very will of God himself, will stop him.  
  
The older man simply silently gazed back at him with his stoic expression, showing no intention of moving.  
  
"It's fine Kureno, let him back in," Akito's muffled voice called out from the room, "And please close the door after him Kureno."  
  
Kureno stepped aside obediently as Haru brushed passed him rudely and slammed open the door. Kureno, then proceeded to slide the door shut in a more gentle manner, before his footsteps faded once again in the hallways. He found his Master freed from his bonds, sitting up by the window, watching a small bird as he fed it from the palm of his bandaged hand. Akito didn't even bother looking up to face Haru as he spoke, "Did you get lost finding the washroom?"  
  
"Is this your idea of a sick joke?" Black Haru demanded.  
  
"You're the one who's acting funny, Hatsuharu. Then again, the Ox has always been such a comedian," Akito countered, with an amused lilt in his voice, "Did something happen?"  
  
"What did you do to me? What the hell was that?" Black Haru continued  
  
"Me? I didn't do anything... well, not much," Akito laughed. The bird on his hand looked up and tilted its head to one side at the man's sudden amusement. "Every person's mind houses secret feelings... and memories... hidden behind a closed door. It's locked and sealed up very tightly. I only opened a small crack in the window. Anything that happened after that is all you," Akito finally looked up and looked at the Ox curiously, "Why are you upset, Hatsuharu? Did you see something interesting?"  
  
"GODDAMMIT, STOP SCREWING WITH MY HEAD!"  
  
Akito's eyes flashed. The bird in his hand let out a surprised squeak as the hand it was standing on suddenly tightened into a closed fist around it. His voice falling equally low and  
  
dangerous, "Don't you dare raise your voice at me. I will forgive you this once as repayment for your... kindness... whenever I fall ill. But raise your voice again, and I may conveniently forget to  
  
repay your kindness."  
  
The silence in the room was deafening. Haru could only clench and unclench his fists as he struggled within himself to not succumb to project the feelings he was feeling earlier at Yuki's  
  
bedside on Akito.  
  
"Now look at what you made me do," Akito's tone switched to an annoyed whine as he turned to the, now twitching, animal in his hand. He dropped the dying bird on the floor and watched it lapse into a seizure before falling still. Akito then looked up to meet Black Haru's eyes. His grey orbs giving the younger boy a spine-chilling gaze,"See what happens when you make me angry."  
  
Almost instantly, the fury inside the younger man faded as he stared at the dead carcass on the floor. Akito's unspoken threat fuelled his reason to overcome his anger.  
  
With that, his Master made an exasperated sigh as he trotted from his seat, brushed past the Ox and climbed into his futon. He then let made a dismissive wave as he tried to get himself  
  
comfortable, "I'm tired, if that is all, you have my permission to leave."  
  
"Why?" Was the only word he could muster.  
  
"What do you mean 'why'? Why I suggested it? Or why did you almost do it?" His Master countered impatiently, as he looked back up at his audience, "Do you really want to know?"  
  
Haru silently clenched his teeth in reply.  
  
"Because you're starting to remember that you love her... and hate her... as well,"Akito explained with a small smile as he cocked his head to one side. The action was almost childlike... even his voice changing to that of sounds awfully similar to a young boy's,"It's useless continuing to protect her in this life. She'll never love you back. She didn't choose him this time... but she  
  
chose someone else, nontheless. So might as well end this now. Once it's done, we can start all over from scratch."  
  
The Ox gaped at his Master, uncertain on how to react in his words.  
  
"You look at me like that now, but you know deep in your heart that what I'm saying is only the truth," Akito continued in that strange voice, "This is the only way to stop it... Izumi-san."  
  
"What did you call me?"  
  
Akito's eyes narrowed into small slits, his voice once again taking a low and dangerous tone, "Get out of my room."  
  
He didn't know how he did it. But somehow, he managed to walk through his Master's door and into his own quarters before collapsing on his bed. His legs finally giving out as his strength suddenly left him. It was only then that he realized that his entire body was shaking. He closed his eyes and curled up into a fetal position to control the trembling of his body. Nothing Akito said made sense. Nothing from what happened earlier made any sense. On top of that, he suddenly has these overwhelming feelings of uncertainty that he couldn't explain hanging over his head.  
  
"Are you okay?" He heard Rin's voice called out softly from his door  
  
Part of himself wanted to cry out and begging for her to come closer, seeking comfort. Another part of him wanted to scream at her to get out, not wanting her to see him like this. So  
  
he opted for the middle ground of his feelings. He said nothing.  
  
With that, he sensed her enter and move over his curled up form uncertainly before deciding to sit down on the edge of his bed, just above his head, "What happened?"  
  
'I don't want to talk about it right now,' was what he wanted to say. But it simply came out as a tired groan. So much had happened, and He didn't think he had to ability to process it all.  
  
So they stayed in that position in relative silence before she spoke again after a while.  
  
"Do you want me leave?"  
  
No, please stay! Yes, go away! "Idorrgn norrr..."  
  
She sat there a quietly for another few moments before sighing and started to get up. However, before she could even lift herself off, the young man suddenly reached out and pulled her closer to him. Rin fell back in bed with a loud yelp and struggled to sit up to regain her balance... only to find the young man's arms holding on tightly around her hips, sobbing quietly on her lap. She then allowed the tears that were starting to well up in her eyes to fall as she too, curled up against his warm body and silently cried with him.  
  
~~@~~  
  
AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:  
  
And this is the last chapter. The end.  
  
Ja!  
  
Ina-chan  
  
Not really. Happy April Fools! ^_^.  
  
Heh-heh... when Ina-chan is in one of her manic creative states... she's on a roll. Finally finished a chapter of FUMEI. I was actually agonizing on how to show this chapter. Originally, I  
  
wanted to write it as a Shigure/Akito perspective. But it didn't feel right. It was still too early to do that... at least not without giving a bigger glimpse on exactly what's going on in Akito's head. Which as you can see is really REALLY bad right now. I also figured that it would be a great way to show how Rin ended up doing what she did in an earlier chapter. Yeah... spending a lot of  
  
time with Akito can screw up your perception very well. Makes you kind of wonder what his real intentions are, ne? Is he really going psycho? Or is he only pretending? Or was he really psycho in the first place? And I also figured that this is a great way of showing more of the past lives I've been alluding to in the earlier chapters. Some of Haru's visions are also a reminice of scenes  
  
from "Jyuunishi no Enkei Monogatari" of which is pretty much this fic series' prequel. While Akito's "psychotic" scenes were inspired from various psychosis episodes I have observed in real life, it's  
  
still a very overly dramatic portrayal of it. I don't want to paint the wrong idea that all people with mental health issues act like how I portrayed Akito here.  
  
Thanks for reading and shameless please listen to my interent J-POP Radio Show. J-MIX, every Mondays 5:00 - 6:30 PM E.S.T. on www.mediatalks.com  
  
Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com  
  
Ja!  
  
Ina-chan 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Twelve  
By Ina-chan

_ /"I should hate you......... Everyone says that I should hate you.......... You're the most infuriating person in the world, and you brought out the worst in me......... I should hate you......... Everyone says that we're destined to hate each other, after all... but still... I..."/_

_ **BEEEEEEEEEEEEP!**_

Crimson eyes snapped open in surprise at the sudden insistent beeping of the electronic pump. Kyou let out a groan of protest as he dragged himself off his seat and tried to rub the sleep off his eyes. He let out another groan as he realized that the feeding pump was just about finished. He then turned off the machine and glared at it condescendingly, "Stupid demon pump."

Of all the tubes and machines that Hatori taught them to manipulate, it was the feeding tube that he probably hated the most... next to the tracheal tube that is. It's just unnatural to puncture holes in places in the human body where there shouldn't be any... not to mention gross! He glared at his sleeping cousin as he donned a pair of gloves and dug through the blankets and Yuki's clothes to detach the tube from his cousin's body, "UGH! K'so nezumi. You better be grateful when you wake up. You owe me big for the number of times I had to do this for you."

/_Oh, stop squealing like a girl./_

"You shut up," Kyou shot back. He surveyed the damage and let out a sigh of relief upon realizing that there was no need to clean the surrounding areas of the artificial orifice. He then detached, sealed and reburied the disgusting thing under Yuki's clothes and blankets. Out of sight, out of mind. He chanted in his head silently, and silently wished for the umpteenth time that if this was to ever happen to him for someone to grab a gun and just put him out of his misery. With another moan of disgust, dumped his gloves and the disposable tubing he removed on a nearby waste-bin. God, how he hated this, "I really hate you, you know." He announced half-heartedly with another glare at his cousin... then froze. 

A puzzled frown lined the cat's forehead as something flickered at the back of his mind just as he said those words... 

Fragments of a memory? Of a dream? Of a memory of a dream? A strange sense of urgency washed over him... as if he was supposed to remember something important. Whatever it was, it seemed like only an arm length away... but for some reason, he still can't grasp the proverbial brass ring, despite doubling his efforts to dig into his brain. 

Finally, he mentally shrugged and gave up. He picked up the evening newspaper as he passed by the side table on his way to his seat and scanned the headlines to distract himself from the memory of his recent task, "It seems like 200 employees from the Asada company will be laid off because of that bird flu scandal. Gah, how depressing," He scanned down the page to look for a more interesting story, "Ah... this is something you'll be interested in..." 

The newspaper rustled as the young man holding it leafed to the page he was looking for. He looked up and glanced at the prone figure across him before reading the opening paragraph of the news item, "Saga, Kyodo. Researchers at Saga University's Institute of Ocean Energy have begun extracting tiny amounts of lithium from seawater -- at a rate of 1 gram per day -- and hope to be the first in the world to commercialize the process... Heh. That's pretty amazing that you can still find use in sea water like that, considering all the crap that's dumped in it now." 

He turned back to his companion, as if expecting an answer. The sound of beeping monitors amidst the silence of the room was his only reply. The young man frowned as he threw the newspaper on the floor and shifted on his seat. He then raked his fingers through his fiery orange hair in annoyance, "This is stupid. Frankly I don't know why I'm doing this."

/_Because Tooru will worry herself to death and Kagura will kick your ass_/ came the automatic answer from the back of his mind, an angry vein throbbed on his forehead as he glared at his cousin's sleeping figure. 

"Who asked you?" He muttered aloud as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Even when you're like this, you're still a big pain the the ass."

_/And I suppose you think that being like this is like some sort of vacation? My life must have sunk even lower when it means that I have to depend on you for company. Idiot./_

"You ungrateful little..." The young man growled, "You're crazy if you think people will continue to cater you for long with that attitude."

_/**I'M** crazy? I'm not the one who's imagining a conversation with a vegetable./_

"........." He frowned again before letting out an irritated growl, "Dammit! Am I this much of an idiot. I can't even win an argument with you that I'm making up myself." He stood up and pointed a condescending finger at his sleeping cousin, "Don't you dare say it!"

"Baka neko."

Kyou blinked at the spoken reply. He stared at the other figure in the room but there was no indication of his companion of even stirring from his deep sleep. 

Amused giggles tinkled like silver bells from behind him, "It's nice to see that you're having fun during your watch." 

He slowly turned and saw his wife watching him in pure amusement. A deep embarrassed flush immediately made its way to his face, "H-how long have you been standing there?"

"Just now. We came back from our walk. Tooru-kun was on her way with me, but Momi-chan commandeered her away because Hatori-niichan wanted to see her. She'll be a while, but I think Momi-chan will come to replace you in her stead as soon as he can. But I figured that Yuki-rin might as well visit Papa for a little bit before Mama gives Yuki-rin her bath," Kagura replied as stepped closer and with napping bundle inside the kangaroo carrier on her chest, "Isn't that right, sweetie. Yuki-rin wants to give her Papa a kiss."

Kyou frowned at his wife, "I really wish that you'd stop calling her that."

"Did you hear that Yuki-rin? Papa is regretting giving you your name. Papa is such a silly baka neko, isn't he?" Kagura shifted so that her husband could have a better view of her daughter

The infant stretched in protest, her delicate face crumpling irritably in her sleep, as if imitating her father's expression. Kyou's face softened instantly as he bent down to kiss away the lines on his daughter's forehead. The baby immediately relaxed and let out a contented sigh before settling back on her mother's chest. 

Kyou, then, gave his wife a light peck on the lips in greeting, "How was your walk?"

"It was good," Kagura replied, her mischievous smile unwavering, "Though probably not as exciting as your argument with Yun-chan."

"Shut up," The young man countered half-heartedly, "It's just so damned boring here. What else do you expect me to do?"

"Do you want to switch?" the young woman offered, "I'll stay until Momi-chan comes, and you give Yukino a bath."

"Nah, it's fine. I'll stay, you go," Kyou waved her away, as he took his seat once again, "It's almost time for her feeding anyway, so you might as well take her. I'll come as soon as Momiji arrives."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit," Kagura said as she bent down to give him a quick peck on the cheek, she then took a few steps closer to the sleeping mouse and brushed her hand on the younger man's forehead affectionately, "I'll see you later as well, Yun-chan. Don't be too hard on Kyou, now. You know how annoying he can get when he sulks."

"Will you please just get out of here?" Kyou growled at her in a huff

The young woman simply let out another round of laughter before making her way out of the door, leaving her husband alone with his thoughts and their sleeping cousin once again. He idly watched his cousin's chest rise and fall in time with the monotonous beat of the respirator and wondered for the millionth time at how one can easily be suddenly suckered punch with life's mysterious inexplicable ironies. Never in a million years that he expected himself in this situation... being one of the caretakers of the person he used to hate the most. 

Though he and Yuki had grudgingly put aside their differences and set an uncomfortable truce a long time ago, it wasn't really until the recent birth of his daughter that he finally realized that whatever ill feelings he harbored toward his cousin all these years... they were all long dead and buried. Possibly even as far back as high school, when Tooru's influence on their lives became more and more apparent to the point of it becoming as much as their need for the air that they breathe. 

He'd come to realize a great number of things. Haru even commented once that it seemed as if Kyou had matured an entire lifetime in a span of a few months. Back when he was younger, he lost count of the number of times in the past that he wished Yuki to suddenly keel over and die. So it was natural that when the moment that wish almost became an apparent reality, he couldn't help but have that guilty feeling that it was somehow all his fault. Like his childhood prayers were were finally being answered and it was too late to take it back. That's why he couldn't get himself to face Yuki the first couple of weeks after his cousin collapsed despite Kagura's urgings... and threats. 

When Shigure pointed out a possible consequence of Yuki's death, that guilt was replaced by confounding fear. The cat and the mouse was destined to hate each other... he couldn't bear the idea of his child bearing the curse of the Mouse Zodiac... not in so much as the curse itself... but the thought of the unfounded hate he invested on Yuki when he was young, was going to be reflected to him by his own child... It seemed like a well-deserved ironic punishment, didn't it? 

Then that day came... the time of his daughter's birth. With Kagura going into labour two months pre-mature in synch with Yuki sudden physical deterioration, his fear grew to immense proportions that it almost drove him insane. When Hatori approached him to tell him about more impending complications than the possibility of the curse... that is, curse or no curse, there was a possibility that he was in the verge of loosing both his wife and child... He never felt anything like it. Even if he were to receive all the beatings and punishment Yuki had given him when they were younger all at once, nothing could compare to what he felt when Hatori told him that.

A painful numbness.

It was a worse feeling than hate or rage or fear. To sit there, unable to do anything but watch and wait helplessly. He remembered, with a great measure of self-disgust, when he passively made a mental list of the different options available on how to kill himself if his family died.

It was only then that he came to realize, that despite everything that was said and done... it was that same hatred for Yuki that saved him back then. It was an unhealthy defense mechanism, but somehow... clinging desperately to his hate for Yuki was the only thing that kept him from drowning into that numbing cold sea of despair. He also realized that couldn't imagine continuing to live his life without Yuki, either. 

"I'm such a sucker for punishment," Kyou closed his eyes, leaned back on his seat and sighed tiredly, "I'm probably some kind of emotional masochist, aren't I?" 

"Iie, just a baka neko. I really don't understand you at all."

"And what exactly do you mean by that?" Kyou let out another tired sigh before opening his eyes to face his cousin, only for his eyes to widen in shock as the sight in front of him registered in his mind. Instead of seeing his Yuki asleep in bed, he found himself face-to-face with a young man staring at him with a look of utter exasperation on his face, "What the...!?!"

"Why you always think that you're the sad little victim of an entire world plotting against you is just beyond me," the young man continued as he rested his chin on his knuckles, while giving the other occupant of the room with a sardonic smile, "when you have so many people around you who supports you whole heartedly." 

Kyou gaped at the figure, speechless. The person sitting in front of him had some of his cousin's familiar features. He shared Yuki's aura, but at the same time, he knew that it wasn't Yuki. The identical arrogant gray eyes didn't seem to hold the same coldness, his gray hair was cut differently... shorter, and his profile seemed to have reverted back to his cousin's younger... softer... effeminate features... making him look like some kind of alternate version of Yuki's 16-year-old self. Random thoughts quickly ran through his mind. Was he dreaming? Was he going crazy? Who the hell is this guy? Where the hell is Yuki? 

Then Yuki who was not Yuki stood up and made his way towards Kyou. Kyou started to rise in alarm, only to realize that he lost his ability to move. His throat felt painfully dry and found that he couldn't even manage to call out for help. He could only watch in frozen silence as Yuki who was not Yuki stopped in front of him and leaned over, and trapped him into his seat and continued to lean closer to invade his personal space. It was as if he was being held in place by some kind of invisible force or magic spell.

But for some odd reason, he didn't feel angry or frightened. Just the strange, almost excited hammering of his heart. The other young man was so close that Kyou could feel their breaths mingle. He held his breath as he watched the other young slowly raise a hand, as if to brush the strands of hair covering his eyes, and...

...flick him painfully on the forehead.

"ITTAI!!! What the hell did you do that for!?!?" Kyou yelled angrily, the spell instantly broken

"Well, that snapped you out of it. If you don't start acting seriously we'll never get this finished," Yuki who was not Yuki replied with a satisfied look as he settled a respectable distance away and waved at the sketchbook in his hand

Kyou suddenly felt himself boil at his companion's arrogance, "I don't know what games you're playing. But if you pull a stunt like that try to kiss me again, I'm going to rip your head off."

"Kiss you!?!" The other boy sputtered in surprise before breaking into a peal of amused chuckles as he made some final strokes on his sketch pad, "Don't be gross baka neko. Besides, I don't kiss immature little girls like you."

"Who the hell are you calling a little girl, k'so nezumi!" Kyou bristled angrily, "I'm twice the man you are!"

"Well considering how much of a tomboy you are, I suppose you're probably right," The boy countered without missing a beat as he handed the sketchbook to Kyou, "That's the best I can do with that sour expression you have on. If you ever want to have a beautiful portrait to give to your precious Asano-sama, the least thing you can do is learn to smile at least."

Kyou instinctively grabbed the piece or paper in front of him with a huff, only to once again freeze in surprise at the sight of the image that was supposedly to be his. He hands started to tremble in shock as he stared back at the unfinished portrait of a pouting, angry looking teenaged girl glaring back at him.

"Hey... are you okay?"

Kyou looked up to see Yuki who wasn't Yuki watching him in concern. What the hell is going on here? This girl can't be me... who the hell is this guy?

"Kyoko? Hey, what's wrong with you?"

Then... something from the back of his mind flickered, as if a light switch was turned on to reveal a long forgotten memory. Before everything around him was engulfed in darkness, "...Yuuta..." 

*******

_ **"THEY WERE WHAT!?!!?"**_

Shigure flinched at his cousin's surprised outburst before breaking into an amused smirk, "I don't know the whole story, but according to Iwaku-san's notes that Noriko-san collected, Iwaku-san suspected that Souma Yuuta and Souma Kyoko were lovers... or at least on the verge of becoming one."

"Maa, maa... Kyonkichi and Yuki would have a fit, if they ever found out that one of our ancestral cat and mouse incarnations actually had a relationship like that," Ayame laughed gaily as he dangled his feet childishly at the edge of Hatori's open engawa

"To be fair," The novelist interjected, "Just because we share the same curse with some of our ancestral jyuunishi, it doesn't mean that they're the same as us. Apparently, the Meiji Era's snake was a notorious bridal training teacher." 

"Eh? How utterly boring!" The snake scoffed, feeling slightly offended

"Well, she did strike fear in the hearts of many innocent young maidens," Shigure offered helpfully

"But still, it would have been nice to know more about how the past jyuunishi lived, ne?"

"Yes, but our family is a poor historian when it comes to the earlier jyuunishi's personal lives," Shigure commented cryptically as he nursed the cup of tea in his hands, "We're particularly lucky with this generation because Iwaku-san made written accounts that survived all these years."

"I don't understand why you and Tori-san were keeping all this to yourselves all this time," Ayame said quietly with a hint of injury in his voice

The dog looked away and focused on staring ahead of him, "You'll find out everything after this. Though, I'm not sure if you'll thank me or hate me for getting you and Tooru-kun involved."

A furrow marred the snake's delicate features, but bit his tongue to keep the retort trying to make its way from his lips at bay. At least until after Shigure tells the whole story. To be quite honest, he didn't know how to feel at the moment. Beneath his calm and light-hearted exterior, a storm of emotions has been brewing and struggling set free... from his frustration with Yuki's illness to being left out from whatever secrets Shigure and Hatori were keeping... he didn't know what to feel first. And he was getting tired of all of this...

"So... what's the story that led to Yuuta-kun and Kyoko-chan's illicit love affair," Ayame blurted out lightly, attempting to push the dark feelings away once again

"Hnnn... I don't know exactly how illicit it was. Even Iwaku-san didn't know exactly what happened. Yuuta-san, like all the mouse zodiac, was blessed with an abundance of god-given talents and caught the attention of the current Souma Clan head. Since the Clan head had no male heirs, the family made great efforts to groom him as the next Clan leader. He was put under strict instruction ever since he was two years old."

"It would seem that regardless of what generation... the Mouse always has it tough."

"Eventually, he surpassed all his teachers and by the time he was fourteen, Yuuta-san was given the responsibility of tutoring the Souma Master's younger daughters... specifically the youngest, Akiko-san, who was around ten-years-old at the time. Though there was never any official announcements, mainly because Yuuta-san was jyuunishi and would never be able to sire heirs with a woman outside the jyuunishi circle. Nonetheless, everyone already assumed that it would be a matter of time before the Clan Head would announce Yuuta's adoption to the main family branch, and his betrothal to Souma Akiko."

*******

"Huaaaa!!! Hurry! Hurry! Yuuta-sama's walking down the pathway with Iwaku-sensei!"

"He's so good-looking! Not to mention smart!"

"I heard Asano-sensei say that its just a matter of time before he teaches everything he knows to Yuuta-sama."

"Heeh... no wonder the Master favours him so much. Akiko-sama will grow up to be a very beautiful girl as well. The two of them would be a perfect match."

"If it's Akiko-sama, I don't mind loosing to her at all. Yuuta-sama only deserves to be with the very best! He's special!"

"Of course! He is the rat after all. My mother said that children born under the sign of the rat are very special."

Suddenly, the thunderous sound of a piece of heavy metal slamming against wood rang through the four corners of the room. The three girls crowding against the window spun around to see a very angry looking young girl with fiery orange braids glaring at the kanzan she threw against the table in front of her. "You're wrong. There's nothing special about him at all. The rat is a cunning and deceitful liar. He's nothing more but a spoiled brat that everyone caters to."

"AAAAAH! How dare you say something like that about Yuuta-sama!"

"The one who's bad is a crass cat-child like you!"

One of the girls stepped away from the group and crossed her arms to face the younger girl, "You're just jealous because while everyone knows while children born under the sign of the rat are special, children born under the sign of the cat will never amount to anything. You can't even make a simple flower arrangement."

The girl's crimson eyes flashed angrily as her fingers wrapped around a pair of shears... 

*******

"Hnnn... the situation sounds different, but the circumstances somehow feels the same," Ayame muttered under his breath

"Assumptions don't necessarily mean that it was the truth," Shigure reminded his cousin before continuing with his story, "Around that time, the Meiji government started encouraging to send intelligent young minds to study abroad. It was the trend to send sons of rich families to England or Germany to study western culture and technology. Yuuta-san was accepted to a medical school in Germany when he was sixteen years old. It was a great honour, thus, the Clan Head allowed it with his full blessing."

"If that was the case, how did Kyoko-chan come into the picture?"

"Kyoko is the niece of Souma Takako, who also happens to be the Ox zodiac. Iwaku-san was Yuuta-san's official guardian, but he spent most of his adult life traveling so Takako-san was actually the one who raised Yuuta-san from childhood. Meanwhile, Kyoko-san's parents died when she was ten, and was put under Takako-san's care when Yuuta-san was around twelve or thirteen." 

*******

She reached out for the last mochi on the plate, only to have her small fingers graze against a slightly hand already claiming the last piece. Her hand shrank back automatically, as if scalded. Every strand of hair in her body bristled as she glared at the older boy across her, who was watching her reaction in complete beguilement, "What's so funny?"

"You really are like a cat," The boy laughed, "You jump around skittishly on the slightest things."

"Only because I don't like your face, I don't like you hanging around me..." The gir hissed angrily, "I just don't like you!" 

"Maa, I guess that will be a problem, since you will be living with me and Taka until you're married off," The boy replied tactlessly with a thoughtful look on his face

"NA?!? Why does it have to be me!?! Why aren't YOU the one who gets to leave!?!?" The girl growled angrily as she pointed an accusing finger at her rival, "Taka's my aunt! Not yours!"

"I was with Taka since I was a baby," The boy replied tactlessly, refusing to back down, "so Taka will always love me more than she'll ever love you!"

The girl froze before silently bowing her head, not knowing how to answer to that. So her automatic reply to everything that flustered her simply whispered through her lips, "I hate you."

The boy blinked, obviously not expecting the girl's reaction. He chewed his lip thoughtfully before breaking the last mochi in half and putting one piece back on the plate and nudging it toward her, "Truce?"

The girl stared at the sweets in surprise before frowning and shooting him another spiteful glare, "I don't want it. I don't want your pity. I don't want anything you touched!"

The boy sighed in defeat and stood up, brushing invisible dirt from his yukata, "Suit yourself." he paused and shot her a mischievous grin, "But if you keep on being like this, you might as well give up on leaving here. No man in his right mind would want to marry an immature little girl like you anyway."

"WHY YOU---" The girl immediately rose to her feet in fury. 

Her hands curled into angry fists and sprang forward. But the boy being older, bigger, and faster, effortlessly immobilized her attacks. He suddenly leaned closer as if to take a better look at her face, "That's such a pity too. If you smiled a little more, you could actually be pretty." 

The girl gaped at him in bewilderment, completely taken off guard by his comment as a deep flush quickly made its way to her cheeks. The boy let her go, laughing at her reaction, quickly moving out of reach and toward the direction of the doorway. The girl, recovering from her shock, raised a fist and shook it angrily at the air, "K'so nezumi!"

"Baka neko!" The boy countered, as he made a face and stuck out his tongue, before disappearing to the hallway 

*******

"Ah, such a turbulent age..." Ayame pondered, knowingly, "If they were anything like Yuki and Kyonkichi, I don't want to imagine the headaches they must have caused. But then again, the purest of romance would sometimes root from initial adversity. Saa, it must have been difficult for them to face their impending separation."

"It never happened," The writer took a sip from his konomi, pausing dramatically, before continuing with his story, "He never left. A scandal happened that the family was barely able to gloss over because of what happened afterwards. The public didn't know what the real reason why it happened, but the incident was recorded in the local newspapers. Mi-chan was able to confirm it with her supplementary research from the local library archives."

"HEEEH!?!" The silver-haired man gaped at his cousin in surprise, "You're not pulling my leg, are you? What was the scandal? What caused it?"

Shigure nodded his head solemnly, before taking another sip from his tea, "Souma Yuuta was accused of attempted rape."

"Rape?" Ayame frowned once again, upon hearing the revelation, before letting out a snort of disbelief, "Somehow I find that utterly preposterous."

"So it seems," The dog agreed, "But it was his word against the daughter of the Head of the Family... So he never had a chance." 

The snake mulled at his cousin's words in thoughtful silence for a few moments, before daring to ask what his next question, "And then what happened?"

*******

The silence of the room was almost deafening to her sensitive ears. And if not for the cat-like qualities of her eyes, the dimness of the surroundings would have half-blinded her as well. She hated this room. There was a certain dark eeriness in it that she can't quite place. On top of that, there was this a strange smell invading her senses, that's making her skin prickle. 

Then again, she was well versed in the family lore behind this room. It was, after all, the unofficial designated room where sick and dying family members are brought in to die. She found him sitting in the middle of the room, staring at the fading light of the evening sky streaming through one of the windows. She couldn't fathom why he chose to sit in this particular room.

"Yuuta?" She called out hesitatingly. He slowly turned to face her and gave her a sad tired smile. She returned his smile before slowly making her way in the room to sit beside him. They sat there in relative silence, not knowing what to say. She wrung her hands uncharacteristically, that ominous unsettling feeling she was having seemed to be growing stronger by the moment.

"Do you really hate me?" The boy finally broke the silence

The girl turned to him in surprise, speechless. A million thoughts ran through her mind all at once. Her head started to hurt in conjunction to the painful throbbing lodged in her throat. Fleeting images of her suffering because of the curse, because of him... fleeting images of happiness because of the curse, because of him. It was all getting muddled. She didn't really know what to feel anymore. Did she really hate him. She closed her eyes and turned off what her mind and memories were telling her, and instead listened to her heart, before saying her honest answer, "I used to. But... not anymore."

He smiled again at her answer, a sad but grateful smile, "I should hate you."

"What?" She looked up at him in surprise. 

But he was staring at the window again with a distant expression on his face, "Before you started staying with Taka, I only saw you during New Year's, and whenever I get a glance of you, someone around me always says that I should hate you. Everyone says that I should hate you. They said that the cat is a vile and dangerous monster who can't be trusted. I remember wondering to myself how can someone with beautiful orange hair be a monster. Orange is such a cheerful color, after all."

She blinked before bursting out giggling at his childish reasoning, "That's the silliest thing I ever heard!"

"Though I wondered about it after you started staying with me and Taka," He continued, "Before I met you, I never questioned anything. I never fought with anyone. I was never inclined to disobey the Master, or even Akiko... But when you started living with us, I started to change. You're the most infuriating person in the world, and you brought out the worst in me. I became the worst possible person that everyone didn't want me to be. That's why I should hate you. Everyone says that we're destined to hate each other, after all... but still..." 

"I..." His voice trailed as he slowly turned to finally face her. 

She stared into his eyes and saw the turbulence of his emotions in their gray depths. Pain... and a deep sadness. She wanted to weep. She knew what he was trying to tell her, but at the same time, not quite completely understanding what it was. That unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach reverberated insistently throughout her entire being now. And that strange smell was getting stronger and more pungent. But she pushed everything all at once to the back of her mind, as she felt him reach out to caress her cheek. She closed her eyes and lifted her chin instinctively, allowing him to lean forward to claim her lips.

And time stopped for one sweet moment. There was no longer any pain, or uncertainty, or sadness... just him, and the strange sensation of utter exhilaration brought by the soft touch of their first kiss that she wanted to last forever... and the disappointment that followed when he inevitably pulled apart, leaving a salty metallic aftertaste on her lips. 

"I'm sorry," he whispered apologetically, "I shouldn't have done that."

She shook her head in protest, "I don't regret it."

He gave her another sad smile, this time as if he's desperately trying to hold back his tears. He raised his other hand and started rubbing the spot where he touched her cheek with his sleeve. She frowned, puzzled at his actions. Then her eyes widened as she noticed the crimson stain on his sleeve when he pulled away. He looked away from her again, as if unable to meet her gaze. "Yuuta... w-what...?" 

"Look," He said, his voice filled with over-enthusiasm, as he stood up slowly and limped towards the window, ""The sun is setting." 

It was only then that she noticed the deep red stains on his clothes, that already created a small pool from where he sat. She watched in horror at the scarlet footprints on the floor, left behind by his tainted feet, as more rivulets of crimson seemed to run down his legs from his action. And suddenly... it all made sense.

"Yuuta... what did you do?"

The room. The strange smell. The ominous feeling. The metallic taste in her mouth.

"Come on Kyoko. Let's watch the sunset together just like when we were kids," There was a distant quality in his cheerful voice, as if he wasn't really standing there facing the window. The evening light bathed him in an eerie glow. Like one of those western paintings of angels that he used to describe to her. Without a second thought, the girl sprang to her feet and sprinted out of the room.

_**"TAKA! IWA-OJICHAN! ANYONE! HELP! HELP!"**_

*******

"Eh? Shigure-san and Ayame-san are also here?" Tooru's pleasant exclamation broke the unsettling silence between the two men.

"Ya! How is my beloved Otoyume?" Ayame automatically sprang to his feet to greet his sister-in-law and ushered her to a nearby seat, before turning his attention to the coffee table and poured her a cup of tea. 

"A little tired. Kagura-san and I just came back from a short walk... I can't believe how easily I loose my energy now! But both the baby and I are fine," Tooru replied as took the yunomi from Ayame appreciatively, "Thank you, Ayame-san. I'm glad you're feeling better to be out of bed already, Shigure-san."

"Yare, yare!" Shigure waved at her dismissively, "I told you I was fine. Ha-san was just overreacting. Where is he, anyway?"

"He's just talking to Momiji-kun outside. He said he'll be following shortly," Tooru explained, "What is this about anyway."

Ayame turned to Shigure in silent agreement.

A serious expression shadowed over the writer's face, "Because of various things that happened, Ha-san and I decided that it was time that there are some things that we recently found out that everyone should finally know. But before we tell everyone, we thought it would be best to tell you two first... since whatever happens after... it's going to affect Yuki the most."

Ayame frowned once again, and Tooru stared at the writer, her eyes widening in alarm, but both remained silent, waiting for him to continue. Shigure took a deep breath, before starting...

"It all started a long time ago. There were two families, torn apart by many generations of feudal war and was both in the brink of destruction. So, in an action that seemed like an attempt on a truce, the Master of the Souma House extended an invitation to a banquet to the last Master of the Mizugawa House. But out of irrational love, the sister of the Master of the Mizugawa House betrayed her brother. She then took the journey to the banquet in his place, accompanied by the Mizugawa House's faithful eleven... "

"Shigure-san..." There was a slight tremor on Tooru's voice when she interrupted, "... the Mizugawa Master and his sister... their names... do you know their names?"

Shigure nodded solemnly, "The Master of the Mizugawa Household was named Kaji. And his younger sister was his twin... Yukino... Mizugawa Yukino."

******

_/I'm... sorry... Oniichan... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry Oniichan.../_

His eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright with a loud gasp. He quickly scanned his surroundings and found himself back in Yuki's room, with his cousin sleeping peacefully in bed across from him. He raised a hand to wipe the beads of sweat forming on his brow, and found a blanket draped over him. In the near distance, just outside the room, he could hear his wife's tuneless humming trying to soothe the fussy cries of an irritated infant. Without a second thought, he rose to his feet and made his way out of the room.

"Hey, look who's finally up!" Kagura smiled as he emerged, "Yuki-rin finished her bath and you still haven't come, so we came back to check on you. It seems like Momi-chan is late as well, ne? You were sleeping so soundly, we didn't want to wake yo---" Her voice trailed in surprise as Kyou suddenly clung to her from behind and held her tight. Her eyes widened when she felt warm stream of liquid against her bare shoulder and saw droplets of the clear fluid continue down generously on her arm, "K-kyou... what's wrong?"

"Nothing," He whispered softly in his ear, "It was just a bad dream. Only a bad dream..."

With her free hand, she reached across and caressed his cheek, "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Let's just stay like this for a little while."

"Okay."

~~@~~

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

OH GOD! I can't believe how long this chapter turned out to be! Anywayz, this chapter is dedicated to Mona. It was actually after our AIM conversation about Yuuta's storyline that inspired me to finish this chapter. Though... I didn't expect it to end up so long! ^_^. 

I know people have been wondering why I'm only focusing on two earlier generations of the jyuunishi, when there must have been countless of jyuunishi incarnations, ne? Well... simply put, just as Shigure stated in the fic in this chapter... the Souma Family hasn't been good with documenting the personal accounts of the historical jyuunishi. I suppose since it was a family curse, they kept it in the dark as much as possible. The Meiji jyuunishi is special in this fic, in a way, because for the first time, there were actual surviving written accounts about the jyuunishi through Souma Iwaku. As for the other generation... the one with Yumeko-chan... the only reason why it's remembered clearly was because it was the generation of jyuunishi just before the current one, so there are still family members who are still alive who remember them... and yes, there were also written accounts by Souma Noriko (Kana's grandmother in this fic). Eventhough she's not jyuunishi herself, she was close to the Inner Soumas being the one who was assigned to be Yumeko-chan's care giver.

Haa... how did what originally was a personal exercise to write a fic that's not about Yuki turned out so complicated? When I started this fic, I didn't really know which direction to go... I even titled it "Fumei no Musubi" (which loosely means "Conclusion is Unknown") appropriately as a joke. Of course, 12 chapters later... I'm happy to announce that the ending is finally in sight. ^_^. Maybe in 3 to 4 more chapters (hopefully). Of course, just because this fic is near the end, doesn't mean that the story will not go on. I personally think Yuuta-kun and Kyoko-chan's tragic love story is another interesting avenue to explore. And of course, there's still the adorable Yumeko-chan and her beloved Onnichan (the still nameless Kazuma's grandfather ^_^.). Though... that really won't be FURUBA anymore, would it? ^_^.

YOSH! I'll do my best to finally finish this monster and put it to rest. I hope everyone is enjoying this fic so far. Thank you for continuing to read this and for all your comments and criticisms. And RJunkie... please don't kill me. ^_^. I know this chapter is very... preposterous. ^_^. 

Also... please listen to my internet J-POP Radio Show. J-MIX, every Mondays 5:00 - 6:30 PM E.S.T. on www.mediatalks.com

Comments and criticisms to ina_chan@yahoo.com

Ja!  
Ina-chan


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.

July 20, 2004  
Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Thirteen  
By Ina-chan  
  
They said it was just a dream. But he knew otherwise; it wasn't the case. He knew that he was lost for so long that. He saw... he knew that half the time, he even couldn't tell if he was dreaming or awake. Regardless of what everyone else said, he knew that it was all real. At least to him it was real. The fear he saw in his eyes was real... the visions that those eyes saw were real... and whatever phantoms or monsters that plagued him in his dreams were real.  
  
Everyone knew about her. His ramblings and babblings constantly told the world how she haunted him... how he needed to have her by his side. Because of a monster that plagued him... that followed him, lurking in the shadows and darkness of his dreams ever since he was a child. It came to him long before she did. He assumed that he never saw its form with his own eyes. Just fleeting glimpses of movement in the shadows, perhaps. Whatever it was, the fear it caused... he could sense it --the hate and loathing reaching out from the darkness.  
  
He assumed it was her presence that kept his monsters at bay. That woman... that beautiful woman who haunted him... That's why despite the number of time that she ran away and hurt him, he was still compelled to keep her close; to keep her by his side. It was the only way for him to feel safe. But the story never changed every time he managed to keep her. She always ran away. Nonetheless, no matter how many times she's run away from him, he knew where he could find her again. He told him once. He never told anyone else but him. It was a secret...  
  
It was their secret...  
  
_/Boy? What are you doing here? Are you lost?/_  
  
The place they first met, ironically, was also in his dreams.  
  
/_...Neechan...are you an angel?/_  
  
That's the reason why he always believed that they were connected to each other.  
  
_/..............?/_  
  
But even in that initial dream her will to remain unattainable from his grasp was just as strong.  
  
_/Ha-ha-ha! You're funny. I'm not an angel. I'm just a regular person./_  
  
Then, they met for real. But unlike that initial meeting that he'd dreamt, she ran away from him. And no matter how hard he tried to hold on to her, how many times he tried to keep her, how many times he tried to control her... she always manages to run away from him.  
  
_/What's your name, boy?/_  
  
Yet still, No matter how many times she runs away she always returns there...  
  
_/...Akki.../_  
  
...waiting....  
  
_/It's nice to meet you, Akki-chan./  
_  
...waiting...  
  
/_I'm Yukino./_  
  
...in the garden.  
  
"Akito?"  
  
The man who dutifully sat from the shadows called out softly, and watched the current head of the Souma Family's eyes focused at the sound of his name. He held his breath for a moment, unsure of what reaction he would receive. He finally let out a soft sigh under his breath when the younger man's eyes flickered with recognition.  
  
"What is it, Kureno?"  
  
"I asked if you want to have your lunch now," Kureno's quiet voice repeated patiently  
  
The younger man's eyes flashed with annoyance, "You bothered me just to ask that? Are you stupid? Do I look like I want to eat now?"  
  
If he was offended by his master's voice or was threatened by his master's tone, he showed no sign of it on his face. Then again, Kureno Souma was used to his master's outbursts. The unchanging blank expression on his face was the result of many years of practice as Akito's personal attendant since the younger man was still a child. It was an ironic position, in fact. For when he started with his responsibilities, he was not much older than a child, himself. "It's just that you haven't eaten breakfast yet either and it is way past the noon hour. I assumed that you would feel a bit hungry, so I brought you your lunch."  
  
"You assumed wrong," Akito snapped irritably with a dismissive wave. "You of all people should know better."  
  
"I'm only worried of your well being," Kureno replied in a gentle reassuring voice, "And you also seemed to be in deep thought. If it is something that is troubling you, what better way than to talk about it over a hot meal?"  
  
For a moment, it seemed as if the Souma Family Head was going to open his mouth to say a string of spiteful words. However, the older man's words seemed to have called to his sense of reason, smoothing the angry furrows lining his forehead. The younger man once again waved his hand, this time with approval, as he motioned the rooster zodiac to come closer with his tray. Kureno in turn, presented his master's meal, before taking his place on the side, watching the younger man pick listlessly on the food in front of him as he silently awaited his further orders.  
  
Perhaps because of their long-standing relationship, one could say that of all the jyuunishi it was Kureno whom Akito tolerated certain behaviours that he would consider as defiance in the others. It was also because of that long-standing relationship that Kureno was able to accurately read his master's moods. Right now, despite the younger man's irritable disposition, he could tell that the Souma Family Head was in a relatively good mood. So he sat there patiently and waited for his master to speak.  
  
"She was in the garden today," Akito remarked absently, after a long stretch of silence. "And she was herself this time, when I first met her. Before she started to hate me."  
  
"I see," was the rooster's reserved reply as he realized the reason behind his master's relatively pleasant mood. He heard this story many times before... of that woman who haunted his master's dreams.  
  
For as long as he could remember, the Souma Family head was plagued with dreams and nightmares. He remembered the childish screams that woke all those who stayed in the vicinity of the Family Head's quarters. He remembered his feelings of helplessness as his master would cling to him, crying uncontrollably, for comfort after waking from a night terror but always refusing to share whatever horror he had seen. And he remembered when his master slept fitfully for the first time.  
  
It was the evening when he first dreamed of "her", whose presence chased the nightmares away.  
  
It was also the evening of that day when his master and the rat were first formally introduced.  
  
It didn't take much of a genius to realize that somehow Yuki's presence had a mysterious calming effect on their young master. From what he heard, it had always been the case with all the other rat zodiac incarnations. So the decision for Yuki to start living in their master's quarters to be at his side at all times was expected, just as it had been inevitable.  
  
For a several fleeting weeks, it seemed to have worked. His master's health improved and for the first time in his life, young Akito began to act more like a normal child would with his new playmate. But eventually, those moments became exactly as it were...temporary and fleeting. The nightmares and night terrors that Yuki's presence initially extinguished eventually returned. Only this time, instead of whatever frightening phantom that stalked their master's dreams was replaced with visions of pain, tragedy and death that he couldn't hide within himself. Even though Kureno never showed it, he was just as frightened by what his master described seeing, and even more so with the abuses that his master began to practice because of it.  
  
Yuki, being Akito's constant companion at the time, ended up bearing the brunt of their master's outbursts. At first, he thought it was out of disappointment that Yuki couldn't keep away whatever monsters that plagued their master as he was expected to do... or even perhaps, it simply because Yuki was convenient... whatever his reasons were, he saw how their master slowly tried to drag the rat along with him into that dark abyss of despair their master was constantly sinking to.  
  
It was a twist of fate that the younger Souma fortunately did not succumb to thanks to an outsider by the name of Tooru Honda, who was later to become the rat zodiac's wife. It was also then, when Yuki seemed to have completely strayed away from their master, that the Souma Family head finally succumbed completely to the disturbing madness that plagued him... and from their master's uncontrollable rants and ramblings, the picture of why he did what he did to Yuki became clear.  
  
It was because he was punishing her.  
  
The woman who haunted his master in dreams, who always ran away and came back as many other peoples and faces, who returned his master's love with fear and hate and loathing had somehow, in his master's eyes... become Yuki.  
  
"...she was the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Her skin was as pale as the moon, her hair was a long curtain of silk, and when she looked at you with her eyes... they looked so sad. You just felt that you would do anything in your power just to see those eyes reflect her beautiful smile. That's all I ever wanted Kureno..." Akito rambled on, his eyes turning sad and wistful before taking sips of miso from his bowl. He then replaced it on his tray and pushed his barely touched food away. "Take these away."  
  
"You barely ate anything," Kureno protested quietly, "At least finish your soup to have something warm in your stomach."  
  
"I don't want it. Don't force me to do things that I don't want to do, Kureno!" The younger man's eyes flashed angrily once more as he scowled at the rooster.  
  
"Then at least have some of the peaches," Kureno insisted. "The fruit trees in the western garden are now heavy with fruit. Hatsuharu-kun was there this morning and he knows how much you liked peaches so he brought some back for you."  
  
"I never liked peaches. I detest peaches!" Akito replied with a scowl, but took the fruit in his hand anyway. Despite of the sentiments he spoke aloud, there was a noticeable change in his expression as he held the fruit. His eyes softened and his lips curled into a small sad smile, "But she loved peaches very much. Her garden had a peach orchard... and the trees were heavy with fruit when I first saw her. She loved that garden with all her heart. She was upset at my intrusion at first... but she was really very kind. She understood me, Kureno. Even though she didn't know why I needed to hide or who I really was, she understood me... completely and unconditionally. We sat together, eating sweet peaches underneath the shade of her peach trees."  
  
/_Sometimes, I run away and hide too... especially when my older brother is being very mean./  
_  
"Would you like to run away with me? We'll run away together and I'll make you the happiest person in the world, I told her. She looked at me strangely. She was probably wondering if I was serious. I was only a child, after all... and she was almost a woman. She laughed and rested her cheek on her knees."  
  
_ /If Akki-chan was a little older, it would be even more difficult to resist. You're a very sweet little boy. But... I have to stay./  
  
_ "But why? You said that your family was mean to you. I can make you happy."  
  
/_As much as they can be mean to me, my older brother needs me here, as much as your family needs you in your own home... and I made a promise./  
  
_ "A promise?"  
  
/_I promised someone that I would wait right here until we meet again./  
  
_ "What if that person never comes?"  
  
_/Oh, but that person will come. A promise is a promise, after all. I will wait forever until my death... and beyond if I need to./  
_  
"You... love... this person... that much?"  
  
_/Yes. With all my heart./_  
  
"Akito," There was a tiny twinge of fear in the older man's voice when he called out to his master this time around... a twinge that grew to full blown anxiety when he saw his master look at him with cold, almost murderous, look in his eyes, "Akito?"  
  
"I won't allow it, Kureno. I won't allow anyone to come and take her away. I'll lock her away and make her wait in her garden forever if I have to."  
  
"Akito..."  
  
"I won't allow it."

* * *

When he knew that she was there, he would often walk quietly by the door to listen to the sound that always brought a smile to his lips. In the past, when things were much simpler, when it was only the four of them living in his small house, posing as a makeshift of a family... the mere sound of her voice brought limitless cheer and joy to their hearts. Even now, after everything that happened, regardless of how difficult their situation, every single time he passed by he would hear her voice cheerfully floating from that depressing room, from her soft humming to her one-sided conversations.  
  
But today was different. As it was the day before, and the day before that... when he and Hatori finally sat down with her to tell her the "truth". Since then, she never left her husband's side. No one, not even Kagura or Kyou could convince her to move. Even Ayame had retreated to be by himself, spending all of his time at Yuki and Tooru's side the times when he came to the Main House. Hatori didn't say anything, but Shigure knew that Hatori was silently blaming him. No. It was never in Hatori's nature to do that.  
  
At the way things were going, Shigure lost his courage to pursue his original plan on telling all the jyuunishi. Though at this point, it was merely delaying the inevitable. While Kyou has been surprisingly quiet, Kagura has started to become overly concerned (to the point of threatening) to find out what had happened. And as usual, Hatori didn't say anything about his decision to delay the meeting as well.  
  
What a mess.  
  
He pushed all of it to the back of his mind. There were more impending matters at hand. Such as his concern for the health and well-being of a certain the young woman holding a constant silent vigil by her husband's bedside.  
  
"Tooru-kun? Sa-chan made some soup for you," He called out quietly, "I also brought some tea and rice crackers. Would you care to join me?"  
  
She didn't reply, or even raise her head to acknowledge his presence. Not that he expected her to. Shigure let out a small defeated sigh as he entered the room and rested the tray he was carrying on a nearby side table, "I'll leave these here for you. Tooru-kun, please make sure to have something eat."  
  
He paused for a moment, waiting for her to reply, before letting out another sigh and making his away out of the room.  
  
"If you don't find it improper with a married woman," Her voice suddenly called out before his foot stepped out the door, "I don't mind having tea with you, Shigure-san."  
  
The writer spun around in surprise, to find his cousin's wife looking at him with a weak forced smile on her lips. He let out a soft chuckle as he re-entered the room and prepared to pour them both some tea. "Ah, I'm sure Yuki-kun won't mind. We'll even invite him to join us."  
  
There was a noticeable quiver on the younger woman's lips at those words. The writer held his breath involuntarily. At that moment, it seemed as if his cousin's wife was about to burst into tears. He let out a slow breath of relief, however, when Tooru's lips turned upwards into an awkward smile. She reached for the yunomi gratefully and clutched the cup of tea in her hands, almost as if she were holding on for dear life, "Un. It's just a matter of time now, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes," Shigure replied enthusiastically, awkwardly holding on to his own cup of tea.  
  
With that, he let the silence wash over them, not knowing what else to say. All at once, he realized too late, the wisdom behind Hatori's judgment. He could see now that this new knowledge had done nothing more than give both Ayame and Tooru additional emotional turmoil. Nonetheless, something from deep inside of him continued to push him forward. Something told him that they didn't have much time left. Despite of everything that was happening now, this was something that had to be done. Of course, that didn't change that fact that doing that didn't make him feel less like crap.  
  
"Shigure-san," Tooru suddenly spoke just before Shigure's words of apology managed to make its way out of his mouth, "Do you believe in predetermination?"  
  
The writer blinked at the younger woman's words, "Ha?"  
  
The young woman let out a nervous laugh and shook her head. "Forget it. It's nothing..."  
  
"Tooru-kun," Shigure began gently, "Its fine. You know that you can tell anything that's in your mind. No matter how silly it may be."  
  
Tooru gave the older man a grateful smile as she fingered the lip of her yunomi hesitantly, "When I was a little girl, I used to always have this recurring dream."  
  
The writer nodded, "The one you mentioned about a garden."  
  
"Yes," Her eyes seemed to look inward, as she visited that place in her dreams from what she remembered of her waking memories, "They were really just fragments here and there. It was a beautiful garden, full of peach trees that blossomed beautifully every spring and bore delicious peaches in the fall. I always felt happy when I visited it in my dreams. I stopped dreaming about it for a while. I don't remember why it just stopped... eventually I forgot about it completely. Then..."  
  
"Then?" Shigure echoed, encouraging her to continue  
  
"...since Yuki-kun... became ill... The dreams started again. Only this time, it was different," Tooru continued with a small frown, "This time there were two children in the garden. A boy and his little sister. They were always together. Playing, fighting... and when I came, they would always come to me, and ask to play with me. When I found out that our baby was going to be a boy... I hoped, perhaps, that it was some sort of premonitory dream. Do you remember, Shigure-san?"  
  
Shigure nodded with a smile, recalling that particular conversation from the library, "It was a very heart-warming sentiment."  
  
Tooru put down her cup and turned to the writer with an uncharacteristic overly-serious expression, "Do you remember the other thing I said that day?"  
  
The smile faltered on the older man's lips as he attempted to recall that day's conversation, "Something about what your mother said..."  
  
_/Dreams are glimpses of memories from a past life./  
_  
The smile instantly disappeared from the writer's face at those words. He bowed his head, attempting to hide his features as much as possible, unwilling to allow the younger woman to see his cheerful demeanor crumble. The room fell into a heavy awkward silence. For the first time in his life, Shigure was completely at loss for words. Then he felt the younger woman's hands wrap over his. He looked up in surprise to find himself staring at his reflection on her brown orbs.  
  
"Thank you, Shigure-san," Tooru said gratefully  
  
The writer frowned. How can she thank him when all he's done was bring her more unnecessary pain? "Why are you thanking me?"  
  
She simply smiled and squeezed his hands affectionately, "Because you were very worried about us, weren't you? Hatori-san too...You were both working very hard to make sure all of us will be okay. But most of all, for making me understand things that didn't make sense. I know who they are now..."  
  
Shigure simply stared at her dumbfounded, not understanding what she was trying to say.  
  
"Kaji-kun and Yukino-chan," Tooru began as she released the writer's hands and sat back, eyes closed as if trying to hold on to an image in her mind, "Those were those children's names... They were the first jyu..."  
  
"It's just a story, Tooru-kun," Shigure interrupted with a slight frown, not liking where the conversation was heading towards  
  
"But I saw them in my dreams Shigure-san," Tooru insisted, "I saw them long before you told me your story. They were playing in the garden... two very beautiful children. They looked so happy, not knowing that they were born with the heavy responsibility of being the hope of the Mizugawa clan. Their mother wanted to be by their sides to guide them until they were old enough to fulfill their destiny. But that wasn't the case, was it... Shigure-san?"  
  
"No," The novelist replied in a hushed tone, "According to Iwaku-san's story, Nagisa-san fell ill when her children were around six or seven years old and eventually died."  
  
"I know how that feels, to lose someone so dear to you," The young woman gave the older man a sad smile. "I'm sure it was very hard for both of them... most especially Yukino-chan. Mothers and daughters have a special bond. So with her flagging strength, Nagisa-san took her daughter to the garden and they watched the peach blossoms together for the last time. She took the little girl in her arms and said..."  
  
_/Yukino-chan, from now on, you have to take care of your father and your brother for me. Both of them are men with great pride... make sure you protect them from being blinded by that pride./  
_  
"That's good advice," Shigure replied softly  
  
"Yukino-chan was a very smart little girl. Her insight was so much like an adult's most of the time, it was scary. But despite all her cleverness, it doesn't change the fact that Yukino-chan was still just a little girl. That's why it was even much harder for her when she realized that Mother was going to leave her. So she clung to her mother and cried and cried and begged her to stay. That's why she made a promise to help her daughter stay strong.... 'Yukino- chan,' she said, 'No matter what happens, all our happy memories will forever be in our garden..."  
  
_/When Yukino-chan feels sad and needs to see Mother, all you have to do is sit here in our special place. And close your eyes and think of Mother very very hard and with all your heart. Then wait very very patiently... and surely, Mother will be there to meet you./  
_  
"It's my fault." Tooru said almost inaudibly as she turned her gaze to her sleeping husband. "I shouldn't have made that promise. You were suffering all these years because you've been waiting, weren't you?"  
  
"...No..." Shigure whispered to himself as he felt his entire body go completely numb at the revelation. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard; he didn't want to believe what he just heard. In all accounts, he should be jumping for joy as further proof of his theories came to pass... but all he could feel, as he watched the younger woman reach out to stroke his cousin's sleeping face affectionately, was an impending sense of pure and utter terror. "No..."  
  
"I'm sorry it took me so long to find you again. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for so--"  
  
"**STOP IT**!" The writer's voice boomed like thunder throughout the four corners of the room, causing the young woman to look up at him with a start, as if suddenly being woken up from a trance. Before the young woman could react any further, the older man was kneeling right in front of her, firmly holding the sides of her face with shaking hands. He forced her to look into his eyes before attempting to speak with his trembling voice, "Listen to me. Tooru-kun, are you **LISTENING**?!?!"  
  
A strange urgency... desperation... lit something in his eyes. It almost seemed he was holding her as if it was a matter of life or death, and it frightened her. All she could do was silently stare back at him at him blankly.  
  
"You're **NOT** her. You're not Nagisa Mizugawa. If she was ever a real person, she died thousands of years ago. You're Tooru. Our sweet little flower whom Yuki and I found living in a tent when you were in your first year high school. You went through a lot of hardships, but you overcame them because you never gave up. You helped free Kyou, you married Yuki, and now you're going to have a beautiful baby boy."  
  
Tears started pooling in the young woman's eyes at the sound of the older man's words. She bit her bottom lip to control its quivering as she nodded her head vigorously in agreement, not trusting her voice to speak.  
  
"And Yuki is Yuki. He's the stubborn idiot you married who doesn't know when to give up either. He's not Yukino Mizugawa... or Yumeko or Yuuta. He's Yuki, your husband... and he's going to wake up anytime now. When he wakes up and finds out that we've all been subscribing to this silliness while he was asleep, he's going to be so mad that he'll lecture us about our foolishness until our ears bleed. Then he'll see you crying, and he'll wipe your tears... and when he sees the baby, he'll probably start crying himself. "  
  
With that, the young woman let out a sob and allowed her tears to freely trickle down her face. Shigure closed his eyes and rested his chin over the crown of her head, "Its okay. I'm going to make this right, I promise."  
  
With that, he gave the top of her head an almost paternal kiss, and was across the room before the young woman could react. It was all very clear now. Hatori was right in some ways, as much as he was right in others. There was only one way to end this. He still didn't know how he would do it, but in order to save the lives and sanity every single person involved with the Souma Family curse, he would need to find a way to pacify and lay to rest old ghosts.  
  
"Shi-chan...."  
  
The writer froze in his tracks as he spun around to find Hatori by Yuki's doorway. Kyou, his wife and child stood just beside the Souma Family doctor. "H-how long have you been there?"  
  
"Shigure..." Kyou spoke again. The younger man's eyes were staring at him and looked as if he was holding back a dam of tears. The uncharacteristic tremor of uncertainty in the younger man's voice and the worried look that Kagura gave her husband instantly told him that the trio had been standing and eavesdropping in the hallway long enough, "... h... how did you...? How...?"  
  
"About what, Kyou?" Shigure replied  
  
The cat automatically turned his face, unwilling to meet the other man's eyes. So his wife answered for him, "Yuuta."  
  
The writer's eyes widened in surprise as he turned to the doctor. Hatori replied with a meaningful look to his silent question. Shigure clenched his fists as his lips thinned into a grim line as his eyes lit with determination.  
  
The dragon grabbed onto the dog's shoulder before the he managed to stride away. "Shigure, what are you going to do?"  
  
"Following the advice you gave me..." Shigure replied, "I'm going to pray."  
  
Hatori frowned, unconsciously tightening his hold on the other man. "Shigure... are you sure you want to do this?"  
  
"Maybe you were right that keeping this secret buried and forgotten would have caused less grief..." The writer admitted mournfully, "...but keeping it hidden won't end it. And it's time that I stopped running away from him too."  
  
"I'll go with you," Kyou stated all of the sudden, that familiar defiant fire burning once again in his eyes, "I don't understand what's happening at all. But if you're going to do some praying, I have a thing or two that I want to say to God, myself."  
  
It was obvious from the expression on the younger man's face that nothing could stop him from going. So the writer's only reply was a small smile and a silent nod before turning to his best friend, "I have to do this Hatori. We've been running and hiding away from this for who knows how long. We don't have much time, so we have to end this now."  
  
"And just how do you plan to do that?" Hatori asked with a raised eyebrow  
  
"I don't know," was the writer's honest answer, with a shrug, "It'll turn out alright, que sera sera..."  
  
"You..." The doctor sighed and shook his head. Nonetheless he gave his best friend's shoulder a reassuring squeeze before letting go. "Kagura and I will watch over them."  
  
"Thank you," Shigure gave his best friend a small grateful smile.  
  
"Wait, I coming too," The boar protested before shifting her sleeping daughter on her shoulder. "The last time Kyou and Akito were in the same room..."  
  
"The hell you are," Kyou scowled angrily at his wife, "Don't start getting pig-headed and stay here. Leave this to us."  
  
"Kagura, leave it to them," Hatori stated firmly, before the young woman could argue any further. "You have your own duties to fulfill."  
  
The young woman stopped with a start. A strange feeling of déjà vu washed over her. But before she could put thought to anything else, she felt her husband's arms wrap around her and their child from behind her, and heard him whisper softly in her ear, "I won't take long. Stay with Hatori and make sure that nothing happens to them. I'll come back as soon as I can."  
  
Despite of herself, Kagura let out a defeated sigh and nodded. "Alright. You better not make me wait too long, or I'll come after you."  
  
"Stubborn little..." Kyou growled in annoyance as he gave his wife one final squeeze before letting go to turn to Shigure. Hatori gave him a small nod before motioning to go into the room.  
  
The dog simply watched the scene with an amused grin, "Well, well, it's funny how fate changes and comes full circle... it would seem that this time around it's you who will be doing the protecting."  
  
"Ha? What the hell are you talking about?" Kyou blinked as his cousin walked past him and made his way down the hallway, "Oi! Shigure!?"  
  
Kagura watched the two men walk down the hallway. She caught her husband's eye and they gave each other one last reassuring smile before he disappeared into the next corridor. With that, she took a deep breath, let it out with a long sigh, and held on to her daughter a little bit tighter as she pasted a cheerier expression on her face before following Hatori into the room.  
  
End of Chapter 13  
  
To be continued  
  
AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:  
  
First of all, thank you so much to Adria for beta-reading this fic. Even though you haven't read this fic from the beginning when you beta-ed it, you were great! If I ever finish writing the original piece I'm working on, can I hire you to beta before I send it out to potential publishers? . (Ah, to be published... what a lovely dream! It'll be nice if it comes true. .)  
  
Anywayz... It's so ironic that when I first started this chapter, it was only that one short scene with Tooru and Shigure. It was so short that it was barely a chapter. Then BOOM! The muses speak, and they won't stop! I know there are a lot of things happening in this chapter... well, it has to be... the next chapter is the exciting conclusion... followed by either a heart-warming or bitter-sweet or heart-breaking epilogue. Which one is it? Well, you'll have to wait and see! Thank you to everyone who has been so patient with this fic... I know it's a big pain in the butt waiting for the chapters in between to pop out. . But look, it's only one chapter away from completion. . Yaay!  
  
Though to be quite honest, I was actually reluctant (yet at the same time excited) to release the storyline revelation in this chapter... about Tooru being the "suspected reincarnation of Nagisa Mizugawa" because people might think that I'm copying the situation from the recent development in the canon storyline re: Yuki seeing Tooru as his ideal "mother figure". But I already had this storyline plotted just following the "Summer House" storyline (just before the Kyou finally tells Kagura how he feels about her storyline). That's why in this fic, Kyou and Kagura ended up together instead of following the canon. . I actually asked Merrow and RJunkie (who are my very important muses and has been helping me flesh out the story from the beginning) if they found it weird when I revealed Yuki and Tooru's relationship in a previous life to be that of a mother and child... then Takaya drops that bomb... the coincidence was just really... well... strange...  
  
Anywayz... Comments and criticisms to   
  
Ja!  
  
Ina-chan 


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Fruits Basket and all its characters are properties of Takaya Natsuki-sensei and Hana to Yume comics. Everything else in this fanfic are figments of my imagination. Any similarities to name, places, yada yada yada are simply examples of the world's many coincidental mysteries.

January 5, 2005

Fumei no Musubi: Chapter Fourteen  
By Ina-chan

"Niisan... now is not the best time."

The smile on the Dog's face didn't falter as he faced the Souma Family Master's self-proclaimed bodyguard, "When it comes to Akito, there never really is a 'best time', nee, Kureno-kun?"

Shigure didn't try to hide his self-satisfied grin as a flicker of emotion flashed across the younger man's normally stoic expression. He didn't have to be a genius to realize that the Souma Family head must have had one of his 'spells' based on Kureno's stubborn attempts to keep them away. It was probably more dangerous to encounter Akito at this condition... though he knew all too well, that if he didn't go now, he probably will never gain the courage again.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you in to see him. Akito's finally resting..." Kureno maintained tenaciously.

"THE HELL--!!!" Kyou exploded from behind the novelist, but instantly bit tongue upon seeing his cousin shoot him a silent warning. So the Cat frowned with an indignant growl as he crossed his arms and impatiently glared at the other man standing on their way

Shigure turned back to the younger man in front of him, "I understand that it's your job to protect Akito, but this is something that simply can't wait Kureno-kun. You can even say that it's a matter of life and death. So if you don't mind, Kyou-kun and I are going to go in to see him."

"I'm sorry, but you really have to return some other time."

"Kureno-kun, I don't think you're really hearing what I'm telling you," Shigure replied, the smile fading away from his face now, "I'm going in to see Akito now. With or without your permission."

A rare frown marred the other man's bland expression, "Is that a threat?"

"Perceive it as you wish," Shigure shrugged, as Kyou, on cue took a stepped closer beside him.

The younger man didn't back down, but Shigure could see a twinge of fear cross through Kureno's eyes. He knew that the Rooster was not going to give in without a fight, whether or not he carries on with his threat. Shigure could only hope that the younger man would finally succumb before Kyou gets more impatient than he already was, and take his bluff a little too seriously.

"Kureno-niisan," Hatsuharu spoke from behind them before the younger man could make a retort, "It's no use arguing with Sensei. I don't think it will hurt if they have a few minutes with Akito."

The rooster zodiac opened his mouth to reply when the air around them was suddenly pierced by a blood-curling scream. All four men stared at each other with identical expressions of surprise on their faces. For a brief moment, the writer and the ox made a silent exchange, before suddenly and wordlessly making his way into the Family Head's door with Kyou instantly at tow.

Hatsuharu grabbed Kureno's arm in a deathgrip before the older man could react, "Kureno-niisan, it would be better if you don't go in."

The Rooster glared at the Ox in protest, before eyeing the open door where the Dog and the Cat had already made their way through, "This isn't a game, Hatsuharu. If you don't let go now, heaven forgive me..."

"It'll only make things worse if you go in there and fight with them now. Go get Hatori-niisan, if you must," Hatsuharu stated calmly, "I'll stay. It'll be okay."

The older man ground his teeth and gave the younger man another deadly glare before reluctantly turning on his heels and disappearing in the halls. Hatsuharu closed the sliding door and let out a deep breath.

"Are you sure this is okay?" Her soft whisper was almost inaudible from where she was hiding. When he didn't reply, she stepped out from the hallway's shadows and instantly stood by his side.

"I don't know what Sensei has planned," The ox admitted in his usual deadpan monotone, "But... I trust him."

* * *

The sound pierced through him like a knife. Despite how Kyou had grown to despise God, he knew that he could never escape him. He was still a Jyuunishi and Akito was still God. It was an unbreakable bond that none of them could escape. So when he heard that sharp cry of terror, he knew that he had no other choice but to follow his older cousin into the room.

It was enough to forget the heavy, uncomfortable atmosphere that seemed to seep from every corner of the room to reach out at him. There has always been an uneasy aura around Akito... even in the past. But now... in this room... That perturbed air was thick and even made it difficult to breathe.

"AKITO!" Shigure didn't bother hiding the anxiety in his voice as he knelt by their master's side.

Even hardened and vindictive Shigure seemed to have forgotten everything the moment they saw Akito's pathetic figure. He too felt that inexplicable urge to follow his older cousin to their Master's side. Somehow, he managed to hold back and stay in the shadows of the room as the Dog silently motioned. He couldn't understand it at all...

"IT'S A LIE! THEY'RE ALL LYING!!!" Comprehensible words finally seeped through the Souma Master's hysterical screaming, "IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN THIS WAY!"

Akito is pathetic...

"Akito... what is it?" Shigure whispered almost inaudibly.

Akito is weak...

"Shigure?" Akito's glazed eyes focused on the older man before him. Upon recognizing the dog zodiac, the Souma Family Head's face brightened through his tearful eyes as he reached out and cupped the older man's face, almost lovingly.

Akito is falling apart at the seams...

"Tell me the truth, it's a lie right? This was not how the story was supposed to end. We're supposed to be together and live happily forever and ever. She's supposed to come back to me, just as you came back now."

But despite all of this and all of his flaws...

"Akito... Who... are you talking about?"

...why did he continue to have this power over them?

It was as if time had stopped as soon as the words left Shigure's lips. A blank expression fell on the Souma Master's face... but there was no mistaking it. Despite the unspoken words, based from the expression on his face, the writer already knew the answer before he even asked the question.

Without warning, Akito's hand flew across Shigure's face like a flash of lightning, and a loud slap echoed like thunder throughout the four corners of the room. Kyou's frozen body started to rush forward, but Shigure raised an arm, motioning his younger cousin to stay back.

"Don't play games with me," All traces of hysteria vanished from the younger man's voice as a sudden hardened expression crossed his face.

Kyou wouldn't have believed it if he didn't witness it for himself. Their master's demeanor took a complete 180 degree turn. It was as if there was another Akito sitting in front of them in a blink of an eye.

"You know very well what I'm talking about. You pretended that you're on her side, but the truth was you were jealous of her all this time," was the Souma Master's harsh whisper, as he stood up and towered over the Dog zodiac. "Time and time again, you plotted to take her away from me because you wanted to keep her for yourself."

"Akito, you're not making sense," Shigure replied in a firm tone.

"I know that you blame me... all of you blame me for what happened to her. It's not my fault! IT'S NOT! You're the one responsible. It was you. You were the one who encouraged her. YOU!"

Kyou had no idea what the Souma Master was babbling about, but the dark expression that crossed his older cousin's face upon hearing Akito's words didn't escape him. He didn't know what they were saying... but something inside of him told him it was very important.

"In the beginning, after she betrayed her brother... her spirit was faltering and she was unsure on how to move forward. You were the one who encouraged her to go to battle against me."

He felt a slight twinge at the back of his right eye after hearing those words. He didn't understand what Akito was saying, but there was something nagging at him from the back of his mind. A sense of familiarity... like a long forgotten story or memory from his childhood...

"Of course, it hasn't changed for even now... even though he chose another... You helped him behind my back. You schemed and plotted to ensure that he will be out of my reach. Even though he's helpless now, you're still making sure that he's kept away from me."

Kyou frowned. He didn't know the details of Yuki and Shigure's arrangement. But seeing how strange their master has become now, a small sense of relief washed over him, and silently admired his cousin for his foresight in their situation. If Shigure did not become Yuki's legal power of attorney, he shudders at the mere thought of what Akito would have ordered as his cousin's fate.

"At that other time, you knew very well how impressionable she was. How she little she understood about the dangers of the world. How she doesn't understand the hatred of other people. Despite my orders... despite my feelings... you, along with the others, allowed her... HELPED HER... to continue seeing that monster."

That slight twinge became an unexpected throb... almost making his knees buckle from the unexpected pain. The ghostly melodious laughter from a phantom rang clearly in his mind's eye. A little girl the ornaments sparkling in her long unbridled hair, her Jyuunishi dance clothes whirled in the air, as she twirled and danced gracefully across the room... before dissolving in the air as quickly as she appeared. He closed his eyes and clutched his right eye.

"Then you allowed him to be tainted by that monster. Allowing that despicable creature to share the same roof and eat the same meals. Despite my feelings, you encouraged this ridiculous dream to go to Germany. You encouraged him to leave me."

The faint echo of a familiar amused chuckle reached his ears. Kyou held his breath as he opened his eyes, slowly lifting his face. He felt his eyes water at the sight of a phantom standing, unnoticed, right behind his Master's form. The figure was just as he remembered him from his dreams. Kyou watched with frozen fascination as the ghost lifted his face to look at him directly. The apparition lifted a finger to his lips, sharing an unspoken secret, and flashed him a yet another familiar playful smile before dissolving into nothingness.

"Yuuta," he whispered under his breath. He felt his heart involuntarily skip a beat, "What's going on here?"

The room suddenly felt claustrophobic, making it difficult to breath. Yuuta... Yuuta was here. All at once, he understood what it was that made the atmosphere in the room as it was. Shigure and their Master can't seem to see it... any of them... But for some strange reason, he could. No... not necessarily see them, but he sensed them. Every single one of them was there in that room.

Ghosts... memories... painful feelings of a person... Dancing, spiraling, laughing, crying, whirling around the room... around Akito.

But why was it that it was only him who could see it?

Another memory appeared... a beautiful young woman stood before him, with a sad expression on her face, that it nearly broke his heart. He's never seen her in his entire life, but in his heart... in his soul... he knew her.

/I'm sorry... onnichan.../

His hands reached out for her as her breathless whisper spoke directly into his mind, only to have her image melt away before his fingers could touch her.

He clutched his chest as an unbearable wave of sorrow crashed over his entire being, followed by indescribable rage...

Why was this happening? How did Akito know? How could he have possibly have known about his dreams? About Yuuta? The pain in his head and the hitch in his breathing were turning into intolerable agony. He needed to know why Akito knew all of this... He needed to know! Ignoring Shigure's silent instructions, he stepped into the light and made his way toward their master. "How did you know that?"

His voice was a harsh whisper, but it rang clearly and loudly through the four corners of the room. Both their God and the Dog turned to face him, surprise evident in their faces.

"What is that monster doing here?" Akito's astonishment was quickly turning into anger as he turned to the older man, with the expression of indignant betrayal etching all over his features, "YOU planned this too, didn't you? YOU DARE TO DEFY ME LIKE THIS?"

Shigure said nothing. He simply sat beside him and watched him with an unreadable expression on his face. Not that he would obey it, but the novelist made no cues or gestures for him to stop.

"How did you know about Yuuta and the others?" Kyou continued on, letting his confusion and an inexplicable rage slowly seething inside of him to fuel him forward, "TELL ME!"

"Get out," came the God's futile orders, "Shigure, get him out of here. HE'S NOT WELCOME HERE!"

Kyou smiled inwardly upon hearing a twinge of fear and desperation at the edge of his master's voice. That continued to urge him forward. Seeing that he was not going to get any help from the dog, the Souma Master scrambled awkwardly to his feet and started to back away from the advancing cat.

"SHIGURE, WHY AREN'T YOU DOING ANYTHING!!!" Akito demanded angrily as his eyes darted about the room, like a trapped animal searching for an escape, "KURENO!!! KURENO!!! WHERE ARE YOU!!!"

"No one is going to come... not until you tell me everything!" Kyou stated threateningly, continuing to press forward.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! DON'T YOU DARE COME CLOSER! YOU DISGUSTING MONSTER! KURENOOOOO!!!! HATORIIIII!!!"

There was no doubt about it. There was so much fear from his Master, he could literally taste it from the air around him. Despite of himself, he found himself enjoying this situation when the tables were turned. Taking a chance, the Deity darted forward in an attempt to pass the Cat. But Kyou's martial arts reflexes proved to be superior, as he simply reached out and grabbed the other man's arm as he passed. In a split second, the Cat had his Master trapped in a head hold that felt eerily familiar.

"Do you think this will change anything?"

Kyou almost let go in surprise upon hearing the sudden change in his Master's voice. He could still sense the other man's fear... but to his astonishment, the voice that came out from his master almost sounded like Akito became yet another person. Nonetheless, the voice was clear... with a dignified and arrogant tone as if of royalty speaking to that of a servant. And there was a lilt that sounded almost... childlike.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Shigure watching the scene unfolding before him, caught in frozen fascination.

"What gives you the idea that there is something that you can do to change your fate?"

"I... I just..." Kyou began almost hesitantly, "I just want to know... why..."

"Then... let me show you..."

Kyou felt his entire body go numb, as his Master broke free from his unresisting body, though the older man didn't move away. Instead, Akito turned to face him and traced an invisible line on the Cat's face. Without another word or warning, the older man bent down to place a kiss.

As soon as he felt his Master's cold lips touch his cheek, Kyou felt his body go rigid in shock, the connection between God and Zodiac overpowering his senses. He held on to his Master tightly, half-afraid of drowning in the feelings that ran through him. He saw all of it, heard all of it, smelled, tasted, and felt all of it. The disjointed images, sounds, smells, tastes, and feelings of memories past, flashing all at once inside his head...

When he could take no more, he finally released his hold... allowing the other man to slowly slump to the ground.

"Did you feel that too?" Kagura turned to the Souma Family doctor, who was mirroring back the same bewildered expression on her face.

Hatori didn't reply. He simply stared back at the younger woman with that same bewildered expression on his face. A sudden chill ran through his body. An uncanny foreboding feeling prophesizing that something... something was going to happen.

"Hatori-san!"

Hatori's thoughts were pulled back to reality by the other young woman's panicked call and the change of pattern of the monitor's beeping. His attention immediately turned to the sleeping young man and frowned at the readings reflected on the monitors in front of him.

"Hatori... what is it?" Kagura called out, sounding obviously frightened by the turn of events.

"There's nothing wrong," Yet. The doctor added silently, as he assessed his patient with practiced precision, "It's not like the last time. His heart rate just jumped up a little bit. It's not any different when you suddenly break into a sprint after resting for a bit."

"But why is it happening?" Tooru asked, in that same frightened tone.

"I don't know," He replied helplessly as he reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair away from the younger man's eyes, "Perhaps... he's dreaming."

"Or having a nightmare," Kagura whispered. She bit her lip helplessly as she watched her friend shut her eyes tightly and cling to her younger cousin's hand even more firmly.

Without another thought she put a hand on her friends shoulder and gave Tooru a reassuring smile as the other woman looked up to turn to her, "Nee, Tooru-kun... can you do me a favour? Hold Yuki-rin for me."

"Eh?" Tooru stared back at her, puzzled at the strange request and reluctant to let go of her husband's hand.

"The best cure for a nightmare is a reassuring hug," Kagura whispered gently.

The other woman's eyes widened upon comprehending her friend's words. An uncharacteristic frown marred her delicate features as she held on to her husband's hand even tighter.

"Tooru-kun... please," Kagura begged as she put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder, "It'll be okay. I promise to hold him tight enough for the both of us."

The other woman closed her eyes and let out a sob, but eventually made an understanding nod. She hesitantly released her death grip to accept her niece in her hands and move out of the way.

"Hatori, help me, so I don't disturb anything important," Kagura instructed as she climbed into the bed with Hatori's assistance, arranging Yuki's prone figure to rest comfortably against her own. She held him in a tight hug, and rocked him gently as if soothing a child, whispering softly in his ear, "Yun-chan... it's alright. There's no need for you to be scared. We're all here. Tooru-kun, Hatori, Me... all of us are right here, waiting for you. So you don't have to be scared..."

Shigure was already at his feet and caught the young man in time, before he slumped onto the floor. His hands instantly searched through the younger man's clothing, and let out a sigh of relief upon finishing his initial assessment.

"Is it finally over?" He mused almost inaudibly, but his Master simply answered with uncomprehending even breaths.

"Shigure..."

The looked up and gave the frightened Cat a reassuring nod, "He's fine. He just fainted." The Dog's face darkened as he watched their sleeping master, "It's just like you to run away when you're cornered like this, isn't it?"

With his words, the orange-haired man sank to his knees and raised one hand to cover his eyes, unable to suppress a sob rising from his throat. Shigure looked up at his younger cousin in concern, "Kyou?"

"...stupid... For that stupid reason..." Kyou choked almost inaudibly as he cradled the beads around his wrist, "He made her suffer all these years... He made ALL of us suffer... just for that stupid reason."

"Kyou, what's wrong? What did you see?"

"In the end, nothing's changed..." Kyou uttered as he glared at their sleeping master indignantly, "It turns out that you're still nothing more but a stupid brat."

That was all he could manage to get out from his younger cousin. His heart fell at the sight. Whatever it was that Akito showed the Cat, it was enough to break even his cousin's spirit.

"Kyou," Shigure started again as he reached out to touch his cousin's shoulder

Kyou simply brushed the older man's arm aside. He wiped the tears from his eyes and got on his feet, "I don't belong here. I shouldn't have come."

"What..."

"I'm sorry Shigure, but I was going about this the wrong way," Kyou stated in a calmer tone, "Kagura and Yukino are both waiting for me. I don't belong here. I never did."

Shigure's eyes softened, completely understanding what his younger cousin was trying to say. He nodded in agreement, and watched silently as Kyou turned around and left the room. It was only then that he allowed him eyes to wander back to his Master's sleeping form. Without another thought, took the smaller man into his arms and carried him effortlessly to the nearby futon and tucked him in.

As he watched his master sleep, his mixed up and jumbled feelings boiled up within him. Hatred, anger, loathing... those were the main reasons why he stayed away all these years... he hated himself more for feeling those dark feelings. But despite it all, he knew there was no way he could cut away completely.

Now, more than ever, knowing what he knows now...he wanted to stay by his Master's side. Even if it meant to just helplessly stand by and watch his master dream. Even if it meant that all he could do was pray that his master's never ending nightmare would finally cease.

Perhaps... this was the true meaning of their curse.

* * *

And the child dreamed.

The monster was running after him. He couldn't see it, but he could sense its massive dark shadow towering over him. All he could do was run.

Run. Run. Run away... before it got him. Before it hurt him.

Run to the place that was always safe. To the place that he always searched for when he closed his eyes to dream. To the place where they first met. To the place where she promised that she will wait and wait and wait and wait...

The garden. The garden. The children were playing in the garden.

That's where she will be... waiting... waiting...

He didn't know how or why, but for some miracle, he found himself there. His heart leapt with hope at the sight of the familiar trees and branches and the heavy sweet scent of peaches. He was there, in her garden. And from the distance, overlooking the lake, sat a lone figure watching the peaceful distance.

"...Nee...chan..."

His fear forgotten, his tiny feet rushed forward. He didn't care about the low hanging branches catching and ripping his yukata... scratching his exposed skin.

"Neechan..."

She was there... waiting. She was there... within hands reach.

"NEECHAN!"

The figure raised its head, as if hearing his call. He was close now... ten steps, nine steps, eight steps, seven...

"YUKI...no..." He froze as the figure turned its head to face him. The figure blinked, probably reflecting his own confusion. He shook his head as tears started to sprout from his eyes, "No... no... NO! Why are you here? You're not supposed to be here!"

The figure cocked its head to one side as if not understanding what he just said. That person was not supposed to be here. Yukino was the one who was supposed to be here! This was their secret place! How dare him! How dare him come here instead of Yukino!

He clenched his childish fists and rushed to the intruder. But the person who was not supposed to be there deftly caught his wrists, rendering him helpless. All he could do is fall into childish sobs as he fell on his knees.

Seeing that the child was no longer fighting, the intruder released his hands. The child felt the other person cupping his face and forcing him to look up in a pair of clear gray eyes.

There was no anger in them. Or hate. There was not a single hint of emotion in those eyes other than pure bewilderment.

"Akito..." The intruder finally spoke, "Why are you so small?"

The child didn't know how to reply. He didn't know the answer. In this garden, this had always been the way he was. And now, this garden... the final safe place inside of him... was no longer his.

There was no other place to go. There was no other place to run away to. There was nothing else to do, but to stay and face the intruder who somehow managed to enter his safe domain.

The one, out of all of them, who was still alive...

Yuki.

To be concluded…

* * *

AUTHOR'S SQUAWK:

This is the second to the last chapter. WOW! And to think that I started this fic waaaaay back in December 2002. It's like two years now! So I want to make a special thanks to all of you who are continuing to read and support me with this fic. Specially RJunkie and Adria who has relentlessly helped me tweak, prod, and poke at this fic to bring it to fruition.

But as you already know... I have issues with FFNET.

The story behind this is that... one of my fics ("Seven Minutes in Heaven") was listed in a C2 community, of which a malicious member who has something against the owner or the community itself, reported all the fics in there as violating rules set by administrators deleted all the fics in that community without even checking if the accusation was true or false. Of course, that fic, and all the fics in that C2 community did not violate any rules. All my inquiries to administration were ignored. administrators can't be bothered with complaints from non-paying members, I suppose. I briefly decided pulling out all my fics and boycotting , but it will be unfair to you guys who supported me all this time if I left without saying a word.

It saddens me to know that people in FFNET will not see the conclusion of this fic. This is the last chapter I will archive in FFNET re: Fumei no Musubi.

But the good news is... you can find the rest of this fic as well as all my other fics intact in Mediaminer. And if you have issues with Mediaminer, I have a temporary personal webpage that's archiving all my written works. It's in geocities, so it sucks. But it's only temp until I find a permanent home.

Because FFNET does not allow direct links to webpages in the actual fic page, I can't post the addy here. E-mail me directly and I will send the link to you. Don't leave your e-mail in the reviewers area if you're not signed in, 'cause FFNET cuts that out too. .

You can also go to my profile area to access my e-mail and the webpage archiving my fics.

All the fics I already posted in will stay temporarily until I find/create a more permanent and stable place to archive them. I will update all my unfinished fics with at least one more chapter with this same message at the author's note before I stop updating the fic completely. If decides to delete any more of my fics, I will not re-upload them. I will also not re-upload "Seven Minutes in Heaven" here.

Again! Thank you for your support! And if you still want to read anymore of my fics... I'll see you in Mediaminer or my temporary website!

Comments and criticisms to

Ja!

Ina-chan


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